


Love Unseen

by KaylaBellissima



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blind AU, Blind Character, Blind!Yuuri, Disability AU, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Frottage, Light Angst, M/M, Other tags to be added, POV Victor, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-17 23:00:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 34,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9350066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaylaBellissima/pseuds/KaylaBellissima
Summary: A story about a blind Japanese man, who thanks to serendipity meets his childhood idol in a way he never expected.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Melodies Unheard, but Felt All the Same](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8741032) by [Watermelonsmellinfellon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Watermelonsmellinfellon/pseuds/Watermelonsmellinfellon). 



> I originally thought this would be a cool one shot until I realized I had much more to say! This is entirely inspired by another fic about Deaf!Yuuri.

Although he wasn’t sure how somewhere so far away could feel like home, Hasetsu had grown on Victor very strongly.  The charm of seeing old buildings and winding streets were enough to cement his feeling he’d made the right decision to skirt away on an abrupt vacation.  He’d even found a rink he liked during the first week, which was surprising since he hadn’t come looking for it.  Walking up to the building, he had a growing feeling of nostalgia even though he hardly knew the place.  Everything about Hasetsu was very comfortable and inviting.

“Good morning!”

 

“Morning!” Victor called as he passed.  Her name was Yuuko if he remembered correctly? She was very nice, and her kids were very cute.  He waved briefly before realizing he had been entirely stupid this morning.  “I forgot my skate bag, do you think you could point me towards the rental booth?” He said with a smile.

 

“Oh, of course! It’s just to the right there, Yuuri’s working right now!”

 

“Thanks!” Victor spotted it and approached the counter.  He didn’t see anyone around so he rang the provided bell.

 

“Coming!” A voice called, presumably Yuuri.  Soon enough a figure came into Victor’s view.  He was _adorable_ with his soft black hair, chubby cheeks, and sparkling eyes.  Victor hoped the other boy didn’t notice the flush on his cheeks as he smiled.

 

“Hello there.” Victor said smoothly.  The other boy cracked a smile as he looked at Victor.

 

_So cute!_

“Well hello there, can I get a pair of skates for you? What size do you need?” He said, carefully placing his hands on the counter and leaning in while speaking to Victor.  He had dimples! How could Victor resist? The eyes in front of him were luminous amber brown and just begged to be complimented.  The big nerdy glasses were not doing him any justice, and Victor couldn’t help but wonder how different the boy would look without them.  It couldn’t be a huge difference could it?  They’re just glasses.

 

Victor mumbled something that he hoped sounded like a skate size and turned even redder.  Curse his weakness for cute.  This is exactly how he wound up with Makkachin, he was a sucker practically at all times.

 

“Okay! I’ll be right back.” A sly smile passed over his face as he sauntered away slowly.  The cute boy made his way to the racks of skates and slowly picked a pair to hand to Victor.  The way the boy swung his hips grabbed Victor’s attention right away.  He was so _shapely_ and cute! The jeans he was wearing hugged him in all the right places, and it didn’t hurt that he tiptoed up to the shelf with Victor’s size. “Is this good?” The boy said in a soft tone, momentarily throwing Victor for a loop.

 

“Sorry, what was that?” Victor needed to get it together, and quick! If he had any chance will this boy, he needed to get his composure back.

 

“Is this a good size for you? I can swap them out for something else if you think they won’t fit right.” The boy repeated.  He held the skates aloft for Victor to look at.

 

“Oh, yes! These are fine, thank you….”

 

“Yuuri.”

 

“ _Yuuri._   Thanks.” Victor said smiling.  He was rewarded by the small flush that grazed Yuuri’s cheeks.

 

“Of course! Are you foreign by any chance? You don’t sound like you’re from around here.  Not that it’s a bad thing! I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said anything that was so rude.” Yuuri set the skates on the counter and bowed in an apology.

 

“No it’s quite alright.  I’m from Russia actually.”  He gave the boy a serene smile he was sure had _definitely_ gotten him laid before.  Unfortunately it garnered no reaction.  Was Victor losing his touch?

 

Yuuri smiled and made his way to the back room, stumbling when he bumped his shoulder at the corner of the door frame.  Maybe Victor _did_ have an impact after all.

 

His mind was consumed with thoughts of the cute employee for his entire time in the rink.  He did bits of his routine for an upcoming short program, but with his mind occupied nothing felt right.  He began to improvise a step sequence and added a few jumps here and there.  He didn’t push too hard since he was only mildly warmed up, but he felt it more than any performance he’d done in the last six months.  Had he finally found a spark? Apparently he garnered some spectators, because Yuuko was right there when he left the ice.

 

“I should have noticed before, but you’re Victor Nikiforov aren’t you?” She said it in a sort of whisper scream if that was possible.  Her eyes were bright and she was bouncing on the balls of her feet.

 

“You’ve got me.” Victor relented.  He didn’t mind that she knew, usually people who ran rinks weren’t ones to out you in a new city.  They wanted your business so they respected your privacy.

 

“Oh, Yuuri is going to be so excited when he finds out! We both grew up watching you in competition!” She squealed in delight. 

 

_Interesting._

 

“I’m flattered.  So, does Yuuri skate? Or were you two just spectators?” He hoped he wasn’t revealing any ulterior motive, but he honestly couldn’t be sure.  If Yuuri liked to skate, that would be a great common ground for them to start off on.  Yuuko dimmed a bit at his words.

 

“Oh, not really, but that’s not my story to tell.  Maybe if you get to know him better?” She said noticing the confusion in Victor’s expression. Yuuko winked at him and hurried off in search of her triplets.  Victor was puzzled.  Here Yuuri was working at an ice rink, but he didn’t skate? That seemed entirely absurd to Victor.  He was going to spend some time to figure out the mystery behind Yuuri leaving the ice.  Once he felt tired enough to call it quits for the day, he changed into his regular shoes and walked over to look for the cute Japanese boy in question.  This time, Yuuri was already at the counter bidding good luck to a little girl who had just picked up her skates.

 

“Hello again, Yuuri.” Victor laid his skates on the counter and saw Yuuri’s cheeks flush lightly at the recognition.  It gave Victor the slightest bit of satisfaction to garner a reaction from a simple hello.

 

“Hello again! How was your skate today?” Yuuri’s question seemed genuine even though Victor was sure it was simply a polite thing to say.

 

“Oh it was lovely really, this is a very nice rink.” Victor heard the flirtation in his words and was pleased to feel a semblance of confidence again after mooning the first time they spoke.   “Do you skate here often Yuuri? I’m sure you must be the little ones’ favorite instructor.” Victor leaned against the counter to close some of the distance between them.

 

The Japanese boy tensed a bit at the question and shook his head.  “No not much.  I have to stay behind the counter after all.”

 

“Oh nonsense! Maybe I can get you to skate with me sometime? I’m sure your boss wouldn’t mind, she’s very nice.” Victor said imploringly.  There’s that confidence back!

 

“Oh I don’t know… I haven’t skated since I was 12 or 13.” Yuuri tried as an excuse.  He fidgeted with the cuffs of his shirtsleeves and avoided Victor’s gaze.

 

“Well if it helps I could hold your hand? Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall.” Closing a bit more space between them he was almost speaking directly in Yuuri’s ear.  Victor knew bragging might not get him anywhere, but he hoped.  Suddenly Yuuri stilled and turned very pale.  He stumbled backwards and almost tripped over his own feet.  “Yuuri, are you alright?”

 

“V-Victor??? Are you Victor Nikiforov? Your voice… it sounds so familiar.” Yuuri was sweating.

 

“You have me.” Victor said putting his hands up in surrender.  He hoped he put enough into his voice to make the entendre clear, he may have considering how red Yuuri turned.

 

“Oh my.  Oh wow.  It’s really you?” 

 

“It is, although most people who know me recognize my hair, no? Yuuko has those cute little children to chase around so I guess that’s why she didn’t notice, but she said you used to watch me? Did the hair throw you off?” Victor asked cocking his head to the side, giving a dazzling smile.

 

“Why would your hair confuse me?”

 

“Oh you know, some people were very vocal about how they thought I was somehow unrecognizable now that it’s short.  What do you think _dorogoy_?”

 

“You… you cut your hair?! But it was so long and lovely!” Yuuri said in a very shocked voice and then promptly covered his mouth with his hands.  “Sorry, I have to go, have a nice day!” Yuuri was gone in an instant after that leaving Victor very confused.  Why was he so surprised about Victor’s hair? Had Yuuri recognized his voice but not his face? Victor hoped that wasn’t the case, because that would be a huge blow to his ego to think his face wasn’t memorable to the adorable boy from the ice rink.  But how could that be?

 

Later that evening, he lamented his problems to Chris as he laid his hotel bed next to Makkachin.  He absently stroked the dog’s head as little snores came from it’s mouth.

 

“Victor I think you’re overreacting.  Not everyone recognizes you all the time.” Chris was not being very helpful and Victor did NOT appreciate it.

 

“You’re not being very helpful and I don’t appreciate it.” Victor said with an audible pout.  He basically harrumphed the entire way through their conversation.  Rotating into a more comfortable position, Victor found himself lying on his back, staring at the ceiling and feeling like a love struck teen.

 

“Honestly Victor, do you really like him so much? He doesn’t sound very interesting.  A boy who gives out skates at a rink? Really now Victor.” Chris sounded apathetic. 

 

“Why did I even call you? You’re no help Chris.”

 

“Because Georgi was an even worse option?” Chris ventured.  Victor didn’t even want to imagine what chaos there would have been if he’d called Georgi instead.

 

“Yeah that sounds about right.  Bye Chris.”

 

“Bye Victoooor.”  With a click he knew that the line had disconnected.  How were his friends so useless?

 

A week had passed and Victor had made virtually no progress.  Yuuri wasn’t at the rink at a reliable time, and if Victor managed to see him in passing, Yuuri never seemed to notice in return.  He tried to stay at the rink for long hours in the hopes of seeing the Japanese boy again, but he just ended up tiring himself out and running into many annoyed patrons on the ice.  Eventually Victor decided he was willing to tell a little white lie just to see him again.

 

“Hello Yuuri.” Victor crooned.  Immediately a flush crept onto the other boy’s face.

 

“H-hi Victor! Did you need skates? That’s silly you have custom skates. Or did you forget them? No you wouldn’t do that you’re too prepared—“

 

“Actually I do need a pair.” Victor lied, well almost.  He had purposefully left his bag so he had an excuse to talk to Yuuri.  Every time Victor came to the counter without the need for skates, Yuuri would reprimand him for wasting time when he could be on the ice.  Victor didn’t like to be scolded, even if it was an extremely mild scolding from an extremely cute boy.  While Yuuri was a few feet away, feeling around for a good pair of skates, Victor decided it was time to take the plunge.

 

“So, have you thought about my offer Yuuri?” The Japanese boy jolted where he stood.

 

“Uhm…”

 

“Because I would love to go skating with you.  When is your shift over? We can wait until everyone else leaves if that would make you feel better.  It’ll be just you and me _kotyonok_.”  Victor couldn’t help but use the pet name.  The effect was immediate as he saw Yuuri flush up to his ears.

 

“Look Victor, while I appreciate the offer, really I do, I just don’t know that I’m comfortable skating.”  Yuuri looked downcast, but Victor was not about to give up.

 

“Okay, maybe not skating, maybe we could go to a bar? What would you recommend?” Victor saw Yuuri working over the idea in his head, before an idea evidently popped into head.

 

“Minako’s place! It’s nice.  I-if you want to go.  My shift ends at 8:30… w-would that be okay?” Yuuri was blushing everywhere from what Victor could tell.  His heart swelled at the acceptance of his offer.

 

“I’m sure it’ll be great! I’ll meet you here at 8:30 then?” Victor was starting to get excited and hoped he didn’t come off as too eager, but Yuuri didn’t seem to notice.

 

“Sure!” Yuuri said smiling.

 

It was set then.  Victor could finally go on a date with the cute boy from the rink! He would NOT mess this up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I'm so thrilled that people liked this! I know I only posted the first chapter earlier today, but considering I don't know if I'll have much time to write this coming week, I thought I would post the next finished chapter now! Please enjoy! :)

Victor’s hotel room was an absolute mess.  He’d gone through his entire wardrobe to find the perfect outfit for the close approaching date with Yuuri.  No corner was safe from the reaches of Victor’s clothes, not even Makkachin.  The dog huffed in discontent and shook thoroughly in an attempt to escape the shirt that had settled on his back.  Victor smiled at the dog at offered a him a treat.  No matter the situation they found themselves in, treats would always fix everything.

 

“Makka what should I wear? Yours is the only opinion I truly value.” To that Makkachin gave a soft woof and rested his head on Victor’s leg.  Victor marveled at the dog’s affection and calm demeanor, remembering the almost hellish first few months of being a pet owner.

 

As much as Makkachin had liked Victor when they first met, the dog refused to do anything the skater said.  Victor replaced at least three of the rugs in his apartment along with countless knick knacks that had been toppled off tables as Makkachin raced through the apartment, bumping carelessly into everything that he considered to be in his way.  There were obvious highs to having a small puppy; the cuteness, the extra cuteness that came with stopping to let small children pet the dog on the street, and the giggling and cooing that came with showing his dog off to his rink mates.  On days when Victor felt particularly isolated or lonely, he would take Makkachin on a nice stroll through the city in the hopes someone would talk to him.  Even if no one stopped to say something, the walking at least was good for Makkachin, and made Victor feel a bit less miserable.

 

Pulling himself out of his memories, Victor patted his dog and apologized for jostling him when he moved to stand.  Inevitably, Victor settled for a button down shirt and slacks.  Considering he had no idea what kind of bar Yuuri had suggested, he thought picking something he liked was best.  He could pass it off as casual if necessary, but it was nice enough that no one would spare a glance if they moved from a bar to a nicer place.   The only problem Victor found after sprawling the entirety of his clothing across the room was finding his phone.  Fortunately, it only took a few minutes to locate; unfortunately, Victor was a hair’s breath from running late and had to leave immediately.

 

Upon arriving at Ice Castle some time later, Victor chided himself for not spraying some of his favorite cologne before leaving the hotel.  Looking around, Victor saw that the rink was fairly deserted save a few teenagers that circled the ice in slow laps.  He made his way to the rental counter to find Yuuri doing inventory.  Victor let himself indulge in the sight before saying anything, but didn’t manage it for long as a giggle passed from his lips in the silence.  Yuuri perked up at the sound, but didn’t turn.

 

“Can I help you with something?” Yuuri said in an amicable tone.

 

“Oh no, take your time, I can wait.” Victor said only slightly sarcastically.  This caught Yuuri’s attention and his cheeks turned pink.

 

“Oh, Victor! You’re here! What are you laughing about over there?” Victor smiled, Yuuri was still placing skates in cubbies, so he hadn’t noticed the source of Victor’s amusement.

 

“Take a look for yourself _myshka_ , we match.”  Victor stood a bit straighter in anticipation and put his hands in his pockets.  Yuuri had worn an almost _exact_ duplicate of Victor’s clothing, down to the color of the shirt.  “I wish I’d known you had an affinity for emerald green, I would have worn it sooner.”

 

“Oh, heh, my sister picked this out for me.  What a coincidence!” Yuuri rubbed the back of his neck as he finished putting the last of the skates away. 

 

“I see you’ve lost the glasses for tonight?” Victor inquired. 

 

“Yeah, I tend to lose them easily so it’s better to just leave them and know where they are.” Not that he had a problem with it; Yuuri looked entirely too cute with his glasses on, but without them he was irresistible.

 

“Are you set to leave, or do you need a few minutes?”

 

“No I’m good to go! I’ll just tell Yuuko I’m leaving.” Yuuri emerged from behind the counter and held his phone to his mouth.  “Siri, text Yuuko.”

 

“What would you like me to text?” Siri responded.

 

“Hey Yuuko, I’m heading out for the night, period.” Yuuri said lowering the phone from chin level.  “Alright, l-let’s go!” Yuuri said with an excited smile.

 

The bar wasn’t what Victor imagined if he was being honest.  It was cozy and warm without feeling overbearing, and the woman behind the bar was all too eager to dote on Yuuri once they arrived.

 

“Minako, this is Vic-“

 

“Oh, I know who he is.  It’s a pleasure to meet you Victor.” Minako said proffering a hand in his direction.  Her handshake was firm and slightly painful, but Victor could tell she was making an attempt to show him whose boss; there was no argument, she was.

 

“It’s nice to meet you as well! Are you a friend of Yuuri’s?”

 

“You could say that.  Yuuri was my top student in ballet when he was younger.” She gave a warm smile and clapped her hands together.  “Now, what can I get for you two? Drinks? A table?”

 

“A table would be wonderful! A round of drinks would be even better.” Victor said enthusiastically.  He turned to Yuuri who was still a bit pink after being called Minako’s ‘top student.’  Victor guided Yuuri to a secluded table in the back nook of the bar to garner some privacy.  Yuuri shivered at the contact as Victor had placed a hand on his back which pleased Victor very much.  Victor ensured that he was the perfect gentleman and pulled a chair back for Yuuri.

 

“O-oh thank you, you didn’t have to do that.” Yuuri said rather quickly as he took a seat.

 

“I assure you it’s my pleasure Yuuri.” Victor made his way to the opposite side of the small table and sat.  After a few minutes Minako came over and supplied them with drinks and appetizers, swearing up and down that ‘Yuuri would NOT be paying for the food on his first date.’ Once Minako had left Victor seized his opportunity.

 

“Yuuri, is this your first date? Why didn’t you tell me, I would have brought you flowers?” Victor said in a mock-hurt tone.

 

“I think you actually would have done that now that I think about it, so I’m glad I didn’t.” Yuuri said sardonically.  Victor laughed and was glad to see Yuuri was finally letting himself loosen up, if only enough to tease Victor extremely slightly.  Victor couldn’t help but let his eyes wander and caress Yuuri’s figure while they chatted and ate.  If Yuuri noticed, it didn’t seem to bother him, so Victor continued his ogling unabashedly.  Yuuri’s cheeks were so round and cute, his eyes sparkled in the dim yellow light, and he had an adorable habit of missing the food almost every time he fished for a fry.  Victor wondered how this could possibly this boy’s first date! Who wouldn’t want to hold his hand or see his smile? The few nervous laughs Victor managed to get from Yuuri were enough to further cement his confusion, the sound was lovely and soft; truly a peel of laughter.

 

As the night passed, they shared stories and drinks.  They talked about nothing for almost an hour before actually learning anything useful about each other.  Yuuri learned that Victor could hold more liquor than thought possible.  They had accumulated many bottles of beer between the two of them, but the majority of them were Victor’s.  It was safe to say that maybe all of them were Victor’s besides the one that Yuuri had been nursing the entire night. 

 

Victor learned that Yuuri’s family owned an inn with a hot spring and was eager to ask questions.  What was an onsen? What was a yukata? Why do you have to take off your shoes? Were dogs allowed? Victor had endless questions, and Yuuri was patient enough to answer them.

 

“Would it be alright if I moved from my hotel to your family’s? It’s terribly boring and Makkachin hates being cooped up all day.  Then we could spend more time together as well Yuuri~” This made the other boy blush fiercely, but he consented none the less.  After a while, Minako told them she was going to be closing up shop and offered to ferry them a cab.  They refused in favor of walking the city for a little while longer.  The night was crisp and cold, forcing Victor to regret his abandon for a coat that evening.  Looking over he saw Yuuri rubbing his hands over his arms presumably to create some warmth from the friction.

 

“Are you cold Yuuri?”

 

“Oh no no, really it’s fine.  It’s just a little chilly out is all.” Yuuri was not even remotely convincing.  Victor was sure he could see light tremors in the boy’s shoulders from attempting to suppress shivering.  Victor took a gamble and reached for Yuuri’s hand, pleased when the boy gasped in surprise, but didn’t pull away.  Yuuri squeezed his hand before falling in step with Victor. 

 

“So, what is world renown Victor Nikiforov doing in Hasetsu of all places?” Yuuri asked.  Victor had a feeling this question would come sooner or later.

 

“I just needed a break.  Everything is so monotonous and boring lately.  I wanted to shake things up! Try to find new inspiration for my routines.  Not that I would’ve been heart broken if I hadn’t found it.  Skating has lost its luster for me.”  He was surprised at his own honesty.  He’d spent enough time coming up with a fake answer in case anyone recognized him while he was here; now he was spilling his most withheld thoughts just because his date was cute.  After this comment, his cute date furrowed his brows intensely.

 

“Well do you think you’ve found it then? An inspiration strong enough to bring you out of your slump?” Victor was only mildly offended that Yuuri had put things so bluntly, but he appreciated the candor.

 

“Well I do believe you are very inspiring Yuuri Katsuki, so yes I would say I have.” Victor gave the other boy’s hand a squeeze of affection.

 

“M-me? What’s so inspiring about me?”

 

“Many things! The way you talked about your family just now at dinner for one.  Your love for them is very apparent, unconditional love.  I was thinking of choreography almost the whole time you were talking about them.  It was very cute.”  Yuuri mumbled something about how he wasn’t very impressive before they returned to their talks about nothing that made them giggle all the same.

 

Their laughter continued as they walked aimlessly throughout the small city; Yuuri giving tidbits of information about their surroundings whenever Victor got excited and pointed things out.  Yuuri was a good tour guide, and their shoulders pressed together as they walked under the light of the moon.

 

“I should probably let you get back to Makkachin.” Yuuri said after some time had passed.  Victor could see why; Yuuri’s cheeks were clearly flushed from the cold and his eyes were drooping, but that didn’t mean Victor was ready to say goodbye.

 

“As right as you are, I don’t really know where we are and there are definitely no cabs running this late.” Victor slowed to let Yuuri consider this thought.

 

“Hmm, maybe… maybe you c-could stay with me tonight?” Yuuri stuttered as he tried to press forward, walking along a crosswalk to avoid eye contact with him.  Victor thought it was charming until he saw headlights coming far too close.  Before he could react, the driver hit the breaks with terrifying speed and there was a loud screeching amid the silence of the peaceful evening.  The car had come up just short of Yuuri who was stood stock still in silence, facing the vehicle with wide-eyed fear.  The driver leaned his head out the window and yelled at Yuuri what Victor assumed to be something very rude in Japanese before he drove around Yuuri and sped into the distance.

 

Yuuri was still frozen and looked like he was holding his breath when Victor finally came back to himself and rushed to the middle of the crosswalk, laying gentle hands on Yuuri’s shoulders.  Yuuri jumped and pushed Victor with a startled cry before realizing what had happened.

 

“Oh Victor, I’m so sorry I didn’t… I should’ve been… I’m so stupid.” Yuuri said before his face crumpled and he covered it with his hands. 

 

“What are you talking about? That guy was awful it was not your fault-“

 

“Of course it was my fault! The crosswalk was red wasn’t it? And I didn’t even know! I should’ve been listening and paying attention; I know better! But instead I acted like an _idiot_.” Victor could see tears welling in Yuuri’s eyes and cupped his hands around Yuuri’s face.

 

“Yuuri look at me.” He said pleadingly.  Yuuri didn’t meet his eyes, and a tear fell unchecked.

 

“Yuuri _please_ -“

 

“I can’t...  I can’t look at you Victor.” Yuuri said.  He didn’t sound quite as upset, but entirely defeated.

 

“Why? Why can’t you meet my eyes _dorogoy_?” Victor stroked his cheek and Yuuri let out a long sigh.

 

“Look, Victor.  I should have told you this sooner, I was just scared... I didn't know how you'd react.  I’m not just beating myself up over a stupid mistake walking into the road, it really is my fault.  I wasn’t listening for cars like usual-“

 

“ _Yuuri_ there is no way you could end that sentence that would excuse you for getting so down on yourse-“

 

“Victor, I’m blind.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope you enjoy this chapter! I apologize if the next one doesn't come very quickly! I've just started a new semester!

“Did you hear me?” Yuuri said with a trembling voice.  “I’m blind Victor.” As fragile as his voice sounded, Yuuri was almost fuming.

 

“Okay.” Victor said after taking a deep breath. 

                     

“Okay? Just… okay?” Yuuri said losing steam.  Confusion won out once the anger and frustration melted on his face.

                                     

“Yes, I appreciate you thought I deserved to know.  I understand you most likely get by without telling everyone, I certainly wouldn’t have known if I wasn’t told.” Victor said as kindly as he could.  He knew Yuuri couldn’t see the smile on his face, but he hoped it was audible in his voice.

 

“So… this doesn’t change anything?” Yuuri said hesitantly.  Victor took his hand to reassure them as they began to walk again.

 

“What? Change- oh of course not _dorogoy._ You think just because _you_ can’t see how cute you are means I can’t? _Dermo._ ” Victor leaned in close to ensure Yuuri could hear the lightly veiled want in his voice. 

 

“It’s just…” Yuuri started, “Most people aren’t interested once they find out.”

 

“Well that’s better luck for me then _kotyonok_.  I’m very interested.” Victor looked down to check his phone and realized it was far later than they’d anticipated.

 

“I should get you home Yuuri.  Your parents will think I’ve stolen your innocence if you’re not back by morning.”

 

“Ha-ha.  They have customers to deal with I’m sure they haven’t noticed yet.” Yuuri paused and Victor saw a mask of concentration on his face.

 

“We’re close! I recognize those wind chimes.  I think we’re just a few blocks away now.” Victor took his word for it even though there were no wind chimes to be seen.  Sure enough they passed a corner store with tuned wind chimes only a few minutes into their walk.

 

“Yuuri that’s amazing.  Your hearing is very strong.”

 

“Thanks, it has to be.  Helps compensate for my eyes.” Yuuri said tapping the skin at the corner of his eye.  Soon enough they found themselves in front of Yu-Topia Akatsuki.

 

“What do you think?” Yuuri said giving Victor’s hand a light squeeze before pulling away.

 

“It’s adorable! Just as cute as you Yuuri~” Victor beamed at the scenery and could absolutely believe someone like Yuuri grew up in a marvelous place like this.

 

Victor’s jab about the Katsukis fretting over their son’s innocence came to be for nothing when they found themselves in a quiet dining room.  It seemed that everyone was asleep for the night.  They made their way up the stairs as quietly as they could and reached Yuuri’s bedroom.  Yuuri slowly turned the knob, and when it was evident the door was going to creak the entire time they scurried through, giggling like children and shutting the door.  Darkness engulfed the room, and only pale blue strips of moonlight came through the thick curtains of Yuuri’s large window.  Yuuri moved smoothly across the room with no hesitation and sat on the bed.  Victor made to follow and walked right into the bed frame with a dull thud.  Attempting to keep himself quiet, the skater squinted his eyes closed and hopped over to the bed.

 

“Did you hurt yourself?” Yuuri said in a mocking tone.

 

“It’s dark in here!” Victor said in a whisper. 

 

“Oh that must be _so_ inconvenient for you.” Yuuri said as a huge unabashed smile lit up his face.  Victor rolled his eyes, wishing that the other boy could see the look of faux annoyance on his face.  Getting his bearings, Victor sat on the bed with a small thud. 

 

“Are you tired?” Victor said as he turned to look at Yuuri.  If there was one advantage to Yuuri being blind as he was, it was that Victor could look at him as often as he wanted, for as long as he wanted.  Victor loved to look at Yuuri.  The moonlight cast a faint blue glow across Yuuri’s features, and made his dark hair look like the midnight sky.  The warm brown eyes he’d come to enjoy staring at were unfocused and staring into nothing.  Victor supposed that this was very normal for Yuuri, and it must be a chore to make it look like you were keeping eye contact with someone in a conversation when you couldn’t actually see.  Victor felt a swell of warmth at the thought, thinking Yuuri must be very comfortable with him to not put up that front of supposed normalcy around him.  At least, that’s what Victor hoped it meant, he could very well be putting his faith in the situation that Yuuri liked him as much as he liked Yuuri.

 

“I don’t think so.” Yuuri said bringing Victor out of his haze of daydreaming.  “We can just talk if you want.  Unless you’re tired! Then I’ll let you sleep.” Yuuri said quickly.

 

“We can talk.”

 

“Okay.” Yuuri folded his hands into his lap and leaned against the wall.  After a few wordless moments, Victor couldn’t stop himself from pointing out the obvious.

 

“You know Yuuri, talking usually involves participation.” Victor said lightly.  A smile played on Yuuri’s lips as he turned his head towards Victor.

 

“Alright, let’s play a game then.  Twenty questions?”  Victor perked up at the thought.

 

“Oh that sounds like fun! How do you play?” Victor shook the bed slightly as he bounced in anticipation.

 

“You’ve never played? Wow.  Okay, so we ask each other questions back and forth until we each reach twenty.  Should I start or do you want to?”

 

“I’ll start!” Victor said excitedly.  He clapped his hands together and began thinking of questions.  “Let’s see… have you ever had a lover?”

 

“W-what? No!” Yuuri spluttered.  He seemed shocked that Victor would suggest such a thing.

 

“Okay, now you ask me something!”

 

“Uhm…” Yuuri looked well and truly puzzled.  “Let me think.”

 

“Take your time _kotyonok_ , you can ask me anything.” Victor put weight into his words and hoped Yuuri took them as the double meaning they were.  Judging by the pink in Yuuri’s cheeks, he had.

 

“Uh, ok.  How long do you think you’ll stay in Japan?”

 

“I’m not sure yet.” Victor said thinking.  He rested a finger against his chin mimicking a thoughtful expression.  It didn’t seem to help.  “For a little while at least.  I’d like to come up with a short and free program before I go.”  Yuuri seemed satisfied with that answer and nodded.

 

“Are you still in school? If not what did you study?” Victor asked, quite genuinely curious.

 

“I graduated recently.  I studied hospitality management and business to help my parents with the inn.”  Yuuri said automatically.

 

“Oh where did you go to school? Here in Hasetsu, right?”

 

“No, I actually went to Detroit for college, you know in America?” This took Victor by surprise. 

 

“Wow, you went all the way to America? What sparked that?” Victor was totally invested and had completely forgot they were supposed to alternate asking questions at all.

 

“I felt like a change, I guess?” Yuuri said.  “It was a good experience, my roommate turned out to be my best friend.  We still talk all the time even though he’s still in Detroit.  He’s actually a figure skater too.” 

 

“Oh?”

 

“Yeah, Phichit Chulanont?” Yuuri asked.

 

“Oh, Phichit! Nice kid.” Victor said remembering.  Phichit was well known in skating circles not only for his talents as a skater, but as a photographer.  His follower count on social media rivaled Victor’s by the sheer amount of effort he put into his Twitter and Instagram; constantly posting pictures and tweets that fans would ogle until Phichit inevitably posted the next one.  “Now Yuuri, I’ve asked far too many questions, why don’t you take a turn?”

 

Yuuri went a bit quiet and turned from Victor's intense gaze, not that he could see it.  "Does... does it bother you that I'm blind?"

 

"Absolutely not." Victor said firmly.

 

“O-okay.  Uhm… what’s your… favorite color?” Yuuri said weakly.  It seemed he'd lost all confidence after asking what he'd considered a very big question.

 

“Oh Yuuri really~” Victor said scooting closer, leaning in to whisper in the other boy’s ear.  “Ask me _anything._ ”

 

“Can… I…” Yuuri was stuttering and mumbling and Victor couldn’t make out the last half of what he said.

 

“What was that _dorogoy?_ ” Victor lightly brushed his hand on Yuuri’s shoulder, and felt Yuuri shudder.

 

“Victor…” Yuuri seemed to be working up to something and Victor was very interested to see what direction things went.  Yuuri was almost entirely red in the face.

 

“ _Yes Yuuri~_ ”

 

“Can I… can I ask… would you help me get back on the ice?” It wasn’t what Victor was expecting.

 

“Of course _myshka_.” Victor pecked a kiss at Yuuri’s temple and sat back on the bed.  They went to sleep not long after that.  At first Yuuri tried to insist that Victor take the bed and he would sleep on the floor, but Victor vehemently refused and they ended up sharing close quarters in Yuuri’s small bed.  Victor missed Makkachin, and felt terrible about leaving him alone for the night, but Makkachin would be looked in on by the hotel staff per his request, and he would see his dog tomorrow.

 

Victor fell asleep to Yuuri’s soft, even breathing in his ears.  That night his dreams were pleasant and warm.  He dreamed of skating with Yuuri in a pair skate routine.  Yuuri cut a stunning figure of blue and silver that distinctly reminded him of a complimentary outfit to his short program’s costume.  Latently, Victor realized that’s exactly what they were skating to, and Victor himself was in his fuschia costume.  Through lifts and steps, they almost never ceased contact, and when Yuuri brushed a soft caress against Victor’s face he began to come undone.  Waves of devotion rolled over him as he held Yuuri in his arms on the ice, slowly losing the image, but finding he was still holding Yuuri and he was content. 

 

The sun came through the cracks in the curtains much stronger than the previous night, somehow having been moved due to the tossing and turning of the two sleeping boys in the bed next to the window.  Warm light hit Victor’s bare shoulder, and he realized belatedly that he’d stripped off his more uncomfortable clothing sometime during the night.  He seemed to have left himself in a white undershirt and boxers.  Stretching his arms over his head, he closed his eyes and tried to avoid making any noises that would wake Yuuri.  Victor found his phone surprisingly quickly and saw that it was 8:01 AM.  Not a bad time to be up considering what a long night they had last night.  Victor was a morning person through and through, so he was glad one late night hadn’t moved his body’s schedule around too much.

 

Just then Victor realized he hadn’t gotten to appreciate the room he was in for what it was, _Yuuri’s private space_.  The sheets that covered his bare legs were blue and soft, the desk and bed a warm wood tone, on the nightstand Victor could see a photo of a younger Yuuri and a fluffy poodle that reminded him greatly of his own dog.  Victor carefully disentangled himself from Yuuri to get a better look at the picture across the room.

 

“Yuuri and Vicchan” Victor read quietly.  The frame had been inscribed in English, possibly a gift from a friend?

 

Victor continued to look around the room.  He noticed junior dance trophies sitting in a cardboard box on a shelf of Yuuri’s desk, and the walls….

 

“Oh my.” Victor said putting a hand to his face. 

 

The walls of Yuuri’s room were entirely covered with posters of _him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you've enjoyed! Feel free to check out my other works! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I know I just uploaded a chapter very recently, but I've gotten so many lovely comments about this story that it gave me a spurt of motivation! Hopefully this helps make up for the fact that the last chapter was a bit short! Enjoy!

Victor could barely contain himself.  Not only was Yuuri a fan of Victor’s, he was probably _Victor’s biggest fan._   Victor spun in place to get the full effect of the sheer volume of posters, and couldn’t believe the dedication it must have taken to collect all of these posters.  Most of them were from his younger days Victor noticed.  There were hardly any pictures with his now short hair, and Victor wondered why.  Maybe Yuuri really did prefer his hair long? Victor remembered the shock on Yuuri’s face when he said he’d cut it short.  He would take this into consideration the next time he felt the itch for a haircut. 

 

Lost in his reverie, Victor didn’t notice Yuuri stirring awake.  Yuuri as well, didn’t notice Victor in his room for particularly different reasons.  After letting himself indulge in a long stretch, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, and proceeded to walk directly into Victor.

 

“Oof!” Yuuri cried as he slipped from the rebound and clambered for purchase.  The closest thing was Victor, who gracefully caught Yuuri in a dip.  Victor was now glad he’d been trained in the basics of pair skating.

 

“Good morning _dorogoy._ ” Victor said in a still groggy voice.  “Did you sleep well?” Yuuri recovered from the shock of it all and attempted to straighten in Victor’s grasp.

 

“V-Victor! I forgot you were here.” Yuuri spluttered.

 

“That’s not very nice~” Victor said pouting.  “Say Yuuri, is there anything you’d like to tell me?” Victor stroked his lithe fingers over the bare skin of Yuuri’s arms.  Yuuri had also partially disrobed during the night, and was dressed similarly to Victor.

 

“Tell you something?” Yuuri said distractedly.  Victor continued to run light touches across Yuuri’s skin before taking Yuuri’s hands in his, raising them to his lips and kissing each of them.  Yuuri blushed and inhaled at the sensation.  “What would I have to tell you?”

 

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe you’d like to tell me how you became so good at arranging photographs?” Victor said teasingly.

 

“Photographs?” Yuuri said in a daze.

 

“Yes, photographs.  You know the posters on your walls.  There’s almost no space to see the actual wall color! It’s quite impressive.” He placed another kiss on Yuuri’s hand.  Victor felt a sly smiling crossing his features as he spoke, and it was increasingly difficult not to dissolve into giggles.  Slow realization made its way onto Yuuri’s face and Victor heard a faint whisper of something foreign, and judging by the inflection Victor was pretty sure Yuuri was swearing profusely.  Sooner than Victor could say another word, the Japanese boy was gone.

 

“ _Yuuri!_ ” Victor cried.  “I’m sorry _kotyonok_ I was just teasing! I think it’s cute! I’m really very flattered!” Victor could no longer hold in the laughter that was bubbling out as he attempted to weave through the unknown corridors of the inn.  After getting himself thoroughly lost, he found his way into a public dining area.  A small, plump woman with round glasses was busying herself with cleaning large tables when she spotted Victor.

 

“Hello! Welcome to Yu-Topia Akatsuki! How can I assist you?” She said pleasantly in English as she wiped her hands on her pant-fronts and crossed the room to Victor.

 

“Hello there! I’m looking for Yuuri.” Victor responded.  He guessed that she assumed Victor was a foreigner, which made him relieved since he didn’t know a lick of Japanese.

 

“Yuuri? He just went out for a run I think.” She pointed behind her to the entrance of the inn.  “Are you a new friend of his?”

 

“Yes! In fact I was hoping to ask if you had a room available? Yuuri and I spoke briefly about it last night.  He said you allow dogs?”

 

“Oh, absolutely! It’ll be nice to have a dog around again.  We recently lost our dog, Vicchan.” She said a bit sadly.

 

_Oh._

“I’m so sorry for your loss.” Victor couldn’t begin to imagine losing Makkachin.  “Are you sure it’s alright?”

 

“Of course! Don’t worry on our account, you’re a welcome guest!” She patted him on the shoulder and wandered off to carry on with her daily duties.

 

Victor called a cab and made his way back to his hotel as swiftly as he could manage.  He felt terrible leaving Makkachin alone for so long, even if there were people checking in on him and providing him with food.  As Victor expected, Makkachin tackled him into submission as soon as the suite door was open.  Victor dutifully endured a few minutes of slobbery dog kisses before pushing Makkachin off so he could start packing.  He had left himself an unfortunate mess to clean up after his wardrobe fiasco, and not wanting to miss an opportunity to see Yuuri as quickly as possible, he shoved all of his clothes into his suitcases and bolted from the hotel once he was fully checked out. 

 

He was back within the hour, luggage and dog in tow when he was met with another new face at the inn.  A young woman with her blonde streaked hair pushed back by a thick headband, and a cigarette hanging lazily from her mouth.

 

“Welcome, are you checking in?” She said casually.  Victor guessed that this was Yuuri’s older sister he’d mentioned worked at the inn.

 

“Yes! And you must be Mari.” Her eyebrow quirked in interest.

 

“And how do you know that, fancy stranger?” She said before taking a drag from her cigarette and blowing a plume of smoke from the side of her mouth.

 

“I’m a friend of Yuuri’s.” Victor said smiling.  The girl just shrugged her shoulders and guided Victor to his room.  She told him the only room they had readily available was the unused banquet room, but Victor didn’t see any problem with that.  Once he’d deposited his things on the empty floor of the room, he stretched his back attempting to relieve some of the strain.

 

“So, how do you know Yuuri?” She said tapping the excess off of her cig.

 

“He rented me a pair of skates at the Ice Castle.” Victor explained.  Mari squinted her eyes at him, attempting to focus.

 

“You look real familiar.” She said slowly.

 

“I’m a figure skater?” Victor suggested.  Considering this was Yuuri’s sister, he assumed that she could connect the dots from there.

 

“Ah, you’re that one.” She said pointing at him.

 

“Uhm, pardon?” Victor didn’t really know how to respond to that.

 

“Nikiforov.” She clarified.

 

“Oh, yes! That would be me.” Victor said flashing a toothy grin.  She seemed entirely unaffected.

 

“And Yuuri knows who you are?” She said with an edge to her voice.

 

“Of course he does.  Why wouldn’t he?” Victor was getting a bit confused.

 

“Yuuri’s just as dense as he is blind.  It wouldn’t surprise me if he hadn’t figured out it was really you.” She said affectionately.  It was obvious there was no malice in her words, but Victor felt he had to disagree.  Yuuri was very smart!

 

“Don’t get me wrong he’s a smart kid, but he’s also really dumb sometimes.” She said with a smirk, as if reading Victor’s thoughts.  She waved a hand and walked out of the room, allowing Victor some time to get acclimated to his surroundings.  Victor spent some time organizing clothes now that he was settled, and watching Makkachin roll around on the futon that Mari had provided.  Once he felt satisfied with the amount of work he’d done, it was late enough to be considered lunch time, and he wandered out in hopes of finding the dining room.  Unfortunately he didn’t find Yuuri on his way, but he made it to the common room just fine.

 

“Hello Victor! Can I get you anything to eat?” Yuuri’s mother asked.

 

“That would be wonderful! What do you recommend?”

 

“The katsudon is our specialty! It’s also Yuuri’s favorite.” She said with a wink.  Victor liked her.

 

“Then I’ll have the katsudon!” He proclaimed enthusiastically.  Within a few short minutes, a large steaming bowl was placed in front of him along side a pair of chopsticks.

 

“Here we are! One extra large katsudon!” She said displaying the dish as she carefully lowered it to the table.  The aroma was absolutely intoxicating.  Victor expressed his appreciation before digging in ferociously, he realized he had accidentally skipped breakfast in his haste to move hotels and was desperately hungry.  He was rewarded by the most delicious thing he’d tasted in his life.

 

“ _Vkusno!_ ” He exclaimed.  “This is heaven in a bowl! There are no words~” He continued to shovel it down and completely understood why it was Yuuri’s favorite dish.

 

“You’re too sweet to an old lady!” She said fanning her face dramatically.  “Is your room alright Vicchan? I’m sorry we don’t have anything nicer for you!”

 

_Vicchan?_

“No everything is wonderful, thank you Mrs. Katsuki.” He took a break from wolfing down the delicious meal so he could breathe for what seemed like the first time in minutes.

 

“Oh you can call me Hiroko-san, I don’t mind!” She smiled in a way that instantly reminded Victor of Yuuri.

 

“Might I ask, I remember Yuuri’s dog’s name was also Vicchan?” Victor hoped he wasn’t intruding on anything to personal.  She just smiled sadly and sat at the table across from Victor.

 

“Isn’t that too funny?” She said lightly.  “Victor, or Vicchan, was a Seeing Eye dog, Yuuri named him after one of his favorite skaters I think?” She said pondering on it before nodding, deciding it was true.  Victor felt a swell of affection for a younger Yuuri; chubby cheeked and playing with a small ball of fluff.

 

“I didn’t know poodles could be Seeing Eye dogs?” Victor said inquisitively.  He had previously only ever seen large dog breeds like Labradors as companions.

 

“Oh well we got Vicchan before Yuuri went blind didn’t we dear?” She called to the kitchen.  Victor heard a distant voice and Kiroko-san nodded once again.  “Yes we got him just a few months, maybe a year before the accident.  Since we already had a dog we looked into have Vicchan trained.  They were near inseparable before Yuuri went away to college.”

 

“What happened in college?” Victor asked in confusion.

 

“Well we couldn’t afford to pay for an off campus apartment that allowed dogs, so Yuuri had to live in the dorms and the school refused to accommodate him.” A look of unbridled parental rage passed over her features before she cleared her throat to continue.  “I’m just glad he made friends with that Phichit.” Her normal plesant smile returned to her face as she stood.  “Well I’d better get back to work! Don’t forget to try the onsen soon!” She gave him a small wave and meandered around the dining room to check in on various customers.

 

When Victor was done with his katsudon he went back to his room to process all of the new information that had essentially been dumped on him.  Hiroko-san obviously thought that Yuuri and Victor were very close if she revealed personal information like that.  Maybe she just assumed that Victor already knew most of it? She didn’t know that Victor was the skater that had inspired Yuuri to get a poodle and name it after him, which was clear from the way she talked about it.  Victor decided that his processing needed a change of scenery and got directions from Mari to the onsen.  It was _wonderful._   Soaking in the hot water allowed his body and his mind to relax as he played the conversation back over and over again in his head.

 

_We got Vicchan before Yuuri went blind._

So Yuuri hadn’t been born blind, which was something Victor had only suspected until now.  Ever since Yuuri told Victor he was blind, he’d been suppressing many questions for Yuuri he had worried were insensitive or just plain stupid.  He was a little glad Hiroko-san was there to answer at least one of them, but that answer had lead to even more questions.

 

_We got him about a year before the accident._

Yuuri had lost his sight due to trauma, which made Victor feel awful and protective for a smaller Yuuri, like the one from the picture in his bedroom.  Victor knew now that the picture had been taken only months before Yuuri lost his sight.  It made his heart ache and his eyes prickle with tears.  Victor slapped his cheeks lightly to stop himself from crying.  It had happened a long time ago, and it was obvious Yuuri was content with it; what place did Victor have to feel this way? Yuuri lead a perfectly nice life, and Victor knew that the way he felt was very selfish for thinking it was lacking in any way.  It was just him being emotional and stupid and holding onto the idea that he wanted Yuuri to _see_ how happy he made Victor, even if they were only just getting to know each other.

 

Once he had become a human prune, Victor dried off and put on one of the Yu-Topia robes provided to all guests.  He was pretty sure it was called a yukata, but he could be wrong.  Walking down the hallways held less tension now that Victor was slowly getting use to it, and he found his room surprisingly quickly.  What he didn’t expect was to find Yuuri on his futon playing with Makkachin.  Yuuri’s laughter filled the small room when Makkachin leaned up to give him slobbery kisses and Victor leaned against the door frame smiling.

 

“Careful, once he gets attached he’ll never leave you alone.” Victor said in a playful voice.  Yuuri sat up straight immediately, and Makkachin whined as he pulled away.

 

“Victor.” He said simply, standing as he did.  “I came to apologize for running off like that this morning.  That was probably unfair.” Yuuri fiddled with his fingers and his eyes were unfocused.  Victor saw those brown eyes searching for something to steady on, so he spoke in the hopes that it would help.

 

“You don’t have to apologize Yuuri, I was a bit mean.  I can go too far in my teasing; obviously I took you by surprise.” Victor said, hoping his apology would be good enough in return.  Yuuri smiled and waved a hand dismissively.

 

“It’s okay, I was just embarrassed.” Yuuri readjusted his glasses at the bridge of his nose and gestured for Victor to sit with him.

 

“So, I met your mom and your sister today.” Victor said cheerfully.

 

“Oh really? How much damage control do I need to do?” Yuuri said teasingly, but there was an undercurrent of fear that Victor could have learned some truly embarrassing stories about his childhood.

 

“They were lovely Yuuri you have nothing to be concerned over.  Did I say I got to try katsudon?” Yuuri’s face lit up at that.

 

“What did you think? My mom makes the best katsudon, right?” There was a glint Yuuri’s eye that made Victor melt.

 

“It was incredible! I don’t have anything to compare it to of course, but I’m going to eat it every day.” Victor said with a dreamy quality to his voice.

 

“I can assure you my mom’s is the best!” Yuuri said with zeal Victor had never seen from him before.

 

“She called me Vicchan which I thought was very sweet.” Victor said absentmindedly.

 

“I guess she must like you then.” Yuuri said as he pet Makkachin lazily.

 

“I hope so.  Maybe I have an in since I have the same nickname as your dog.” Victor said experimentally.  Yuuri covered his face in his hands almost immediately.  “Yuuri~” Victor whined as he tugged on Yuuri’s arms.  “I thought it was cute!” Yuuri relented and hung his head in defeat.

 

“Great, so now you know I’m huge dork with like _all_ your posters and I named a dog after you! I’m surprised she didn’t show you a photo album while she was at it.” Yuuri slumped against the futon and groaned into a pillow.  It knocked his glasses around and Yuuri mumbled in discomfort.

 

“Yuuri, I’m curious… why do you wear glasses? I hope that doesn’t bother you, you can forget I said anything if it does.” Yuuri turned to face him still wearing a pout.

  
“You’re going to think it’s really stupid.” Yuuri said laughing a little to himself.

 

“I won’t think it’s stupid!” Victor promised.

 

“Ah, okay.  Fine.”  Victor waited for the answer as Yuuri sat back up and readjusted himself.  “I’m gonna say this really fast so I don’t chicken out, so get ready.” Yuuri took a deep breath and started talking.

 

“So, I started skating when I was 12 or 13.  I’d been doing ballet for a while, Minako was my teacher obviously, you know that, and she pushed me to try figure skating.  My sight wasn’t actually that great beforehand, and I had recently gotten a new pair of glasses since the school term would be starting in a few weeks.  I started trying jumps and things on the ice, but I was too excited and I wouldn’t always wait for Minako or someone else to watch me and make sure I was safe.  I ended up over rotating the first time I tried a triple on the ice and lost control.  I hit the ice… hard.  There was a lot of blood.” 

 

Victor paled at the story.  Apparently Yuuri had heard his sudden intake of breath and paused.  Victor placed a hand on Yuuri’s and urged him to continue.

 

“So, I was rushed to the hospital, and they found I had a serious concussion.  I was there for a few days and then they sent me home, and told me to keep a close eye on things.  Everything seemed fine the first week back at home, but one morning I woke up and there were black spots in my vision.  I told my mom and we went back to the doctor right away.  They did some scans and found out I’d done permanent damage.  Over the next few months my vision completely went.”

 

“Yuuri, I-“

 

“And I had just gotten these new glasses!” Yuuri said, interrupting him with laughter.  “Isn’t that ironic? So I felt bad that mom and dad spent money on these fancy new frames for me, and I kept wearing the glasses anyway.  It’s dumb isn’t it?” He said with a smile.  Victor forced down the tears that were threatening to break through and tried to laugh with Yuuri.

 

“Yeah, that’s pretty silly.” Victor said with a chuckle.  He didn’t know if he would ever quite understand Yuuri, but he hoped to try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Your comments are very much appreciated! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tada! I swear I keep saying "I don't know when I can write again!" and then I have another chapter done by the next day! You all are so sweet with your comments, you really motivate me to continue the story! PS things get a little steamy in this chapter, wink wink ;)

The next few days saw things return to normal, or whatever could be passed off as normal now that Victor was acutely aware that Yuuri was sleeping just down the hall.  Thoughts of dark hair and gleaming eyes would keep him up at night in more ways than one.  Yuuri returned to work over the next few days, and the glimpses Victor got at the rink were hardly enough to sate him.  Each day he would take more breaks than necessary to talk to Yuuri, and each day Yuuri would give him kind smiles and butterflies in his stomach.  Victor’s thoughts before he fell asleep were always of Yuuri and the things Victor wanted to do with him, _to_ him.  Victor would get himself too riled up to sleep, and had to sate his own desires before he was finally tired enough to pass out.  Unfortunately, Yuuri was starting to notice that Victor wasn’t giving it his all on the ice.

 

“Yuuko tells me you’re slacking off.” Yuuri said casually as he put a pair of skates in their cubby.

 

“Does she now? And how would she know I’m slacking?” Victor said peering up from his phone.  He was taking one of his unnecessary breaks to chat with Yuuri since he knew this time of day was slow for the rink.  Victor unapologetically stared at Yuuri’s ass when he strained on tip toes to put away the next pair of skates that had been returned.

 

“She said you’ve just been doing slow laps around the ice and scrolling through your social media.  I think I’d call that slacking.” Yuuri said teasingly as he walked over to the front of the booth.  Victor put his phone in his pocket and slumped against the counter.

 

“And you would take her word over mine _myshka?_ ” Victor said with a pout.

 

“Yes.” Yuuri said trying not to crack a smile.  “Isn’t that obvious?” Victor whined in response and garnered a hearty laugh.  “Are you still uninspired then?” Yuuri said settling against the counter as well.

 

“I don’t know.  My mind is swimming.” Victor said vaguely.  It wasn’t a lie, it just wasn’t the whole truth.  Yuuri eventually sent him back to the ice.

 

“Get your head in the game!” Yuuri said cupping his hands as Victor walked away.  It sounded familiar, but Victor couldn’t place the comment.  Maybe he would get it later.

 

In between steps and jumps Victor would see Yuuri at the rental booth smiling happily at families and couples coming to rent skates.  It was enough to distract him from his routine, which was quickly going nowhere.  Using Yuuri as a muse, or inspiration seemed like the right thing to say at the time, but it was also painfully clear to Victor as the day went on that Yuuri was too much of a distraction to harbor any real motivation.  He forced himself to look away for the third time in five minutes and skated slow loops around the ice.  He closed his eyes and steadied his breath, letting his body flow through the emotions he couldn’t escape from.  If Yuuri was too distracting, maybe that could be the theme of the piece?

 

Victor went through the motions of what he thought might be the inkling of a new step sequence.  He imagined the story as best he could and molded his movements to mimic the emotion.  He danced seeing Yuuri for the first time, and the instant infatuation it had brought, following up the sequence with a quad salchow.  He danced the long walk they took together after their first date, going from a spread eagle to gliding into an I spin across the length of the rink.  He danced the initial flirtation near the end of the walk running his hands up his sides that quickly turned to shock and panic when Yuuri was almost hit by a car, bringing him to a stop on the ice with an outstretched arm.  Picking up, he danced the comfort and understanding he’d tried to pour out when Yuuri told him the truth.  That feeling doubled and the steps echoed its increased intensity as he danced that same feeling when Yuuri told him how it had happened.  Various steps and jump combinations followed as Victor searched for a conclusion to the story.  Pulling out of a camel spin, Victor straightened to raise his arms above his head and spin with great speed, ending with his arms outstretched directly in front of him, in the same vain as someone awaiting a loving embrace.  That was how the story ended, with Victor waiting to see if Yuuri felt the same way, with the same intensity.

 

Victor quickly skated rink side to jot down notes from his improvisation to incorporate into his new routine.  He was finally getting somewhere, and it was all thanks to Yuuri.  Victor was more sore than he expected after his practice that day, and took the liberty of soaking in the hot springs for a long time.  No one else seemed interested in the springs today which surprised Victor, but he took it as a chance to clear his mind and let the heat seep into his muscles and joints.  The noise of the door opening caught his attention, and he looked up to see Yuuri walking towards the water.  Victor waved a greeting, then realized that was incredibly stupid.  Before he could open his mouth to say hello, Yuuri was removing the towel from around his waist and wading into the water.  Victor’s words stopped short, and he made a choking sound that was overpowered by the fountain running a steady stream of water into the spring.

 

_Yuuri was naked.  Very naked._

                                                          

Victor knew that this was normal for a hot spring, he himself was naked.

 

_Oh my._

This thought stirred Victor’s lower half a little more than what was suitable for a public bath, and he tried to ignore it as best he could.  Yuuri walked calmly to a secluded area of the spring, and settled against a large rock.  Not wanting to make things more awkward later, Victor thought it time to make his presence known.

 

“Hello Yuuri.” Victor said smoothly.  Yuuri started and opened his eyes, sitting up straight.  “Fancy meeting you here.”

 

“Victor! I didn’t know anyone else was here!” Yuuri crossed his arms over his chest, hugging his shoulders.  Apparently he was embarrassed, but Victor didn’t see why, Yuuri was _beautiful._

 

“Sorry to startle you _dorogoy._ I’m sure you just came for a nice relaxing soak, I’ll leave you to it.” Victor said as he stood in the water, completely baring his lower half to the cold air of the room. 

 

“You don’t have to leave just because I’m here.  The onsen is big enough for the two of us.” Yuuri said settling back against the rock.  Victor saw that the skin under Yuuri’s eyes was more purple than this morning.  Victor hummed in agreement and went to sit closer to Yuuri.

 

“You look tired _kotyonok._ ” Victor said putting a hand to Yuuri’s cheek, a flush creeping across it.  “Do you need a massage?”

 

“O-oh no no no, I couldn’t ask you to do that.  I’m fine Victor really.” Yuuri said shaking his head.

 

“Nonsense! It’s no trouble, turn your back to me Yuuri.” Victor patted his cheek and guided his shoulders until Yuuri was sitting directly in front of him.  Victor started with light pressure, and increased it as Yuuri began to loosen up.  “You’re very stiff in the shoulders _myshka_.”

 

“Well, you know, it’s been a long day.” Yuuri said with a sigh.

 

“Is something wrong?” Victor asked as he dug into the middle of Yuuri’s shoulder blades, eliciting a small groan.  It was hard to tell if it was from the contact, or how truly tried Yuuri was.

 

“It’s nothing honestly.  There were just some rude people at the counter today.” Yuuri said as Victor moved to work on the nape of his neck.

 

“What happened?” Victor said softly, leaning against him to intensify the pressure of the massage.  Another lovely sound came from Yuuri’s lips before he responded.

 

“Apparently they didn’t think I was doing my job quickly enough, and had some lovely choice words when I was getting their skates.”  Victor didn’t like the sound of that.

 

“What do they look like? I’ll deal with them if they bother you again.” Victor said almost angrily.

 

“You know ordinarily I could _totally_ do that for you, but I am blind after all.” Yuuri said with a laugh, which Victor felt through his fingertips on Yuuri’s skin.

 

“Sorry, I forget sometimes.” Victor said moving his hands to slide over the smoothness of Yuuri’s arms.  Victor leaned forward until his chest was touching Yuuri’s back.  “Is there anything I can do to make it up to you _dorogoy?_ ” He said as he slid his arms around Yuuri’s torso to trace small circles against the skin there.  Yuuri shuddered under his ministrations and Victor could feel the heat radiating off of the dark haired boy.

 

“V-Victor.” Yuuri said in a breathless voice as he leaned his weight against Victor.  They were unbearably close, and Victor was sure Yuuri could feel the hardness between them.  There was no barrier, just the wet slip of skin on skin.  Victor placed a soft kiss on Yuuri’s shoulder which elicited a gasp.  Yuuri turned under Victor’s touch to so they were face to face, and Victor caught the gleam in those beautiful brown eyes again, unfocused as they were.  Yuuri seeming disoriented laid hands against Victor’s chest as if he needed grounding.  Slowly those hands made to cup Victor’s face and pull him closer until they were nose to nose. 

 

“Victor.” Yuuri said again in that soft, soft voice.  Up close Victor could feel Yuuri’s breath against his skin.

 

There was a soft brush of lips before Victor couldn’t wait any longer and closed the distance between them.  It was like everything came to life all at once and Victor smoothed his hands over the wet skin of Yuuri’s back.  They were pressed closely together and Yuuri moved his hands from Victor’s face and wove into the silver hair just beyond.  Yuuri gave it a light tug as he deepened the kiss further.  Victor moaned at the new sensation and pressed hot kisses against Yuuri’s skin.  Yuuri inhaled sharply and his hands roamed from silver hair down to the plane of smooth shoulders and strong arms.  Their kisses became more exploratory as they tangled together.  Yuuri ran light fingers across the sharpness of Victor’s collar bone and traced along his neck before sucking at the skin there.  Victor moaned again, more loudly this time as he moved to grind their hips closer together, finding that he wasn’t alone in his arousal.  Victor mapped the muscles and soft skin of Yuuri’s frame under his fingers, and was about to venture into unknown territory when a voice rang through the room.

 

“Yuuri? Are you in here son?” A gravely voice called out.  Yuuri pulled away quickly and scrambled away from Victor, most likely looking for his towel.

 

“Yeah I’m here dad!” Victor was glad they had been in what seemed to be an alcove of the hot spring; he would rather not have Yuuri’s father’s first in person impression of Victor to be sexually explicit.  Victor quietly sank back against the rocks of the wall behind him and listened to Yuuri and his father talk.  It only lasted for a few minutes before Mr. Katsuki eventually told Yuuri to be out soon because the evening rush was coming soon and they would need the help taking dinner orders.  When they were finally alone again, Victor walked over to his towel to wrap it around his waist.  Yuuri had already replaced his towel, and was drying off near the entrance to the onsen.

 

“Rain check?” Victor said with a sly smile. 

 

“Actually, I was wondering if maybe you would take me up on a different offer.” Yuuri said nervously.  Almost all evidence of their activities in the hot spring gone save for the swollen red lips on the dark haired boy’s face.  Victor cocked his head to the side in curiosity.

 

“Oh? What would that be?”

 

“Uhm, maybe we could… go skating tomorrow? When my shift is over?” Yuuri ruffled his hair with a towel and had a hopeful expression on his face.

 

“What a wonderful idea!” Victor exclaimed.  “I shall look forward to it.” Victor couldn’t deny he was a little disappointed that his advances had been cut short, but he later felt it was for the better.  He worried that Yuuri would think things were moving too fast, and the last thing Victor wanted to do was pressure Yuuri into things that made him uncomfortable.  If anything, Victor was anxious now because he knew that tomorrow would most likely be the first time Yuuri got back onto the ice after his accident almost ten years ago.  Victor couldn’t help but feel selfish for suggesting that they skate.  He had really just wanted to impress Yuuri with his skill on the ice, but Yuuri couldn’t be wooed by fancy moves on the ice if he couldn’t see them.  Victor reminded himself a few times that night that Yuuri had asked to skate with him, not once but twice.  It wasn’t Victor pushing, this was something Yuuri wanted, and Victor would give it to him.

 

The next day passed painfully slowly.  Victor couldn’t bring himself to sleep in because he was far too excited.  He couldn’t focus on the ice for the same reason, so he forced himself to do drills for a solid hour.  Making himself tired didn’t seem to help either, because later in the day he was even more strung up and couldn’t seem to take a nap.  Instead, he took Makkachin for a much needed walk around the close streets of the small city.  Victor noticed the corner store with the wind chimes again and made a point to look inside to pass the time.  Finally, Victor went back to the rink for his *hopefully* second date with Yuuri.  It surprised him that there was no one in the rink when he arrived, and he was even more surprised when he was greeted by Yuuko who was apparently on her way out for the day.

 

“Hi Victor!” She said cheerily. 

 

“Hello again, nice to see you.” He said as politely as he could in his frenzied state of anticipation.  Yuuko leaned towards him conspiratorially and held a hand to her mouth like she was sharing a secret.

 

“Don’t tell Yuuri, but I closed the rink early today so you two would have more time together on the ice.” She dropped him a wink and began to walk away.  Suddenly, she turned and came back pointing a finger accusingly in his direction.  “If I find out Yuuri got hurt at all, and I mean in any way shape or form, your head will be on a platter by morning, you got me?” She intimidated.  Victor was earnestly terrified by this comment seeing the degree of seriousness in her face.  He nodded swiftly leaning away from her slightly, and she reverted back to her standard wide smile. 

 

“Good! Have fun you two!” She said giving him a quick wave before leaving the building.  Once Victor had recovered his wits, he walked over to the rental counter.  He took a moment to appreciate the tightness of Yuuri’s pants, a rarity from what Victor had seen of Yuuri’s wardrobe.  Victor thought the Japanese boy must be wearing clothes to skate in before his thoughts were interrupted.

 

“It’s not polite to stare you know.” Yuuri said with a side long grin.

 

“How did you know!” Victor exclaimed.

 

“I could feel someone staring at my ass so I _knew_ it had to be you.” Yuuri said leaning against the counter.

 

“Well at least you recognize me.” Victor said lightly.  “Are you ready to skate?”

 

“Yes! Let me just grab a myself a pair of skates and we can get on the ice.  Were you renting today or did you bring your skates?” Yuuri said as he automatically walked over to a pair presumably his size and pulled them off the shelf.

 

“I have my skates today.” Victor said holding them up so Yuuri could see them.

 

_Woops._

Once Yuuri was out from behind the booth, Victor placed a hand to the small of his back to guide him to the rink side benches.  A loud crash at the front door stopped them in their tracks.

 

“What was that?” Yuuri said nervously.

 

“I think someone just walked in?” Victor said looking in the direction of the noise.

 

“HEY VICTOR.” A strongly accented voice called into the silence.  “YOU HAVE TIME FOR A LITTLE CHAT?” A small, angry looking Russian teenager stomped over to Victor with arms crossed over his chest.  Even without the blond hair and animal print clothing Victor knew who it was by the yelling alone.

 

_Yurio._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter! I always appreciate your comments! :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm apologizing for the short length of the chapter now because it's 1 in the morning and I'm very tired.

This was _not_ how Victor wanted his skate time with Yuuri to go.  Victor had stirred up endless romantic things to say and do with Yuuri to make him swoon on the ice, and now all that hard work and lost sleep was entirely thrown out the window.  Because of _Yurio._

 

“OI, DID YOU HEAR ME OLD GEIZER?” The small Russian boy screamed in his face.  Victor had a good handle on his emotions, and hoped he could smooth things over before they got too out of hand.

 

“Yurio! I didn’t even know you were here! I can’t believe Yakov let you take time off!” Victor said with a huge grin and hoped Yurio could hear the spite in every word.

 

_You are ruining my date little kitten._

“THAT’S NOT MY NAME LOSER.” Yurio bellowed in anger.  “I didn’t get permission I do what I want!” Yurio said petulantly.  “And I’m here to get what you owe me!” He said, stomping his foot for emphasis.  It was like watching a mildly overgrown toddler having a tantrum, but fully equipped with every swear word in the Russian language and maybe a few extra for good measure.  Yurio continued to blather on until Victor interrupted; having drifted off during the exceedingly long tangent Yurio was taking.

 

“What do you mean I owe you?” Victor asked in honest disbelief.

 

“Are you KIDDING ME?” Yurio huffed and promptly turned purple.  “You PROMISED me you would make me a short program for my senior debut! And where have you been all this time?! IN SOME CRAPPY VILLAGE IN JAPAN WITH SOME RANDOM HOOKUP!” Yurio said vaguely gesturing to Yuuri.  Just then Victor remembered Yuuri’s presence and saw the obvious discomfort on his face.  Victor put a reassuring hand on Yuuri’s shoulder and turned to Yurio with a serious expression.

 

“It isn’t like that Yurio, in fact, I’m helping Yuuri here get back on the ice again.  I’m teaching! Isn’t that great?” He said enthusiastically patting Yuuri on the back.

 

“What, so my senior debut is less important than some piggy learning to skate? Get real Victor.  Come back to Russia and stop this stupid charade.” Victor did feel bad for Yurio; he really didn’t mean to break a promise, but he couldn’t see himself leaving Japan any time soon.

 

“Look Yurio, if you want me to make you a routine, it’s going to be here.  I’m not leaving Japan.” Victor said flippantly, but with force.  He hoped this would be enough for the blond boy.  Yurio could be temperamental, and Victor didn’t want to have to pay for damages and be embarrassed out of the rink Yuuri worked at.  After what seemed to be a moment of thought, Yurio shockingly accepted this fact quiet well, and swiftly stomped his way over to the rink side to get his skates on.  “Oh, you mean now?” Victor said surprised.

 

“OF COURSE I MEAN NOW, MORON.”  Yurio basically chucked his shoes across the room in his haste to get on the ice, and finally gave the older skater time to sort things out mentally.

 

“I’m so sorry Yuuri.  I should have known better than to leave loose ends like this.  I hope you can forgive me.” Victor took one of Yuuri’s hands and raised it to his lips for a soft kiss at the knuckles.  Yuuri flushed and smiled weakly.

 

“It’s okay, I’m sure we can skate another time.  I… I think I might have tried to rush myself anyway.  I’m honestly relieved I don’t have to get on the ice… I don’t think I’m ready yet.  I hope that’s okay.” Yuuri’s tension vanished as he spoke.  Victor wasn’t thrilled to hear this, but if Yuuri was more comfortable this way, he could wait.  He gave Yuuri’s shoulder a quick squeeze to signify that everything was fine.  To Victor’s surprise, the release in tension gave Yuuri a strike of boldness, and the black haired boy took the hand from his shoulder into his own as he walked towards the rink where Yurio was doing basic warm ups on the ice.  Victor heated instantly at the contact and hoped he wouldn’t have to join Yurio on the ice any time soon.

 

“So, you promised to choreograph his short program?” Yuuri said easily.

 

“Apparently so.” He sighed.  “My memory isn’t the greatest when it comes to these things.” Victor said, still despairing their lost alone time together.

 

“Do you even have anything planned?”

 

“I’m not sure yet.” Victor said honestly.

 

“I guess the real question is… is he any good?”  Yuuri asked, and it seemed in genuine interest. 

 

Victor watched Yurio continue through his warm ups and saw what was close to rage boiling under the surface of that ‘tough’ exterior.  Everything about Yurio was gruff and abrasive.  Victor imagined a dynamic routine that could show off these facets of Yurio’s anger and frustration, but it didn’t feel right.  He would have to keep thinking.

 

Practice didn’t involve anything extraordinary, Victor was a bit harsh in his critiques and drills if only to get back at Yurio for ruining his night, but he decided to linger on thoughts of a routine for a little while longer.  After a few hours had gone by and Yurio was sufficiently exhausted, they called it a night.

 

“I hope that wasn’t too boring for you _dorogoy._ ” Victor said taking Yuuri’s hand again.  They had lost the connection when Yurio had began to demand the attention he deserved from a proper lesson.

 

“No, I think it was a step in the right direction.  Hearing the sound of the skates always calms me down.  If there’s only one pair of skates on the ice, I can imagine it’s me.” Yuuri smiled.  “So Yurio, where are you staying?” Yuuri asked politely.

 

“Don’t know.  I just got here.” Yurio mumbled.

 

“You _what?_ ” Yuuri said, stopping in his tracks.  “You’re telling me you came to a foreign country, where you don’t know the language, and didn’t even bother to investigate hotels that could at least speak English?” Yuuri sounded like a stern parent, and Yurio responded again, like a toddler.

 

“It’s none of your business!” Yurio said hotly.  To Victor’s surprise, this only garnered an even sterner expression from Yuuri.

 

“Look Yurio, you’re only 15.  You’re a child.  I’m not having you starving in the cold because you’re too stubborn to book a room.  You’re coming home with me, and that’s final.”

 

“WHAT?” Yurio shrieked.

 

“You’re a minor! I’m not letting you wander off to do God knows what, sleeping in an alley when you’re not practicing.  My parents run an inn, you’re staying with us.” Victor smiled at the sudden outburst, and giggled.  Yuuri was the epitome of _‘I’m your mother, and I know what’s best for you.’_

 

“I’ll kick your ass before I take orders from you, piggy!” Yurio’s face was entirely red and his knuckles were white with tension.  Yuuri shockingly enough, laughed.

 

“Really? You’re going to kick a blind guy’s ass?” Yuuri’s smirk was absolutely infectious, and possibly bad for Victor’s health with how intoxicating it was.  At first he made as if to respond, but Yurio went wide eyed and spluttered like an idiot before turning an even worse shade of purple than before, and trailing behind them in silence.  They made it a ways farther before Yurio had the courage to speak again.

 

“So, you’re blind?” He said in a substantially calmer voice.

 

“Yes.  Have been for a while.” Yuuri said simply with no room for argument.  His and Victor’s hands were still intertwined as they crunched a path down the light snow on the sidewalks.  Victor heard Yurio blow out a mocking huff as he walked.

 

“Ah, so _that’s_ why he likes you so much, Vitya.  He can’t see how much of an idiot you are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! If school levels out difficulty wise I should have another chapter to you soon!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter for you! I got some really lovely comments on the last chapter, and they didn't go unnoticed! I will hopefully be giving you a chapter every night over the weekend; it will be a bit of a personal challenge I'm giving myself. I don't know if I'll be able to do it, but you all inspire me to continue to create! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

As the days progressed, Victor still struggled with a routine concept for Yurio.  He’d confined the 15 year old to basic training and excessive drills to give him some leeway, but Yurio was getting close to the end of believing it was so Victor could fully understand his abilities as a skater.

 

“I’ve done this jump perfectly ten times! How is that not enough for you to put it in a routine?” Yurio scowled as he took his skates off for the day.

 

“I’m working on it,” was all Victor could muster.  He tried to look convincing, but he knew he didn’t.  The only good thing about Yurio coming to Hasetsu was that Victor had an excuse to see Yuuri far more often than before.  When he was coming in to practice alone, he would actually have to get on the ice and practice.  Now whenever Yurio was being particularly difficult, Victor would give him a random drill to do and walk over to the rental counter.  Now that Victor knew Yuuri’s ‘secret,’ Yuuri seemed far less tense around him.  To Yuuri’s credit, he still hadn’t dropped the overprotective mom act when it came to Yurio.  Victor didn’t understand why Yuuri was like this with the blond skater, but he figured it _must_ be a part of Japanese culture if nothing else.  Right?

 

“ _Victor._ ” Yuuri called again. 

 

“Yes darling?” Victor said dreamily.  He’d anchored himself against the counter while waiting for Yurio to change out of his practice clothes.

 

“Have you really not come up with a routine for Yurio? It seems, I don’t know, unlike you.” Yuuri said cleaning the blades of various skates that had been returned.

 

“What do you mean by that _zolotse_ _?_ ”

 

“Well, from what I remember, you choreographed almost all your own routines.” Yuuri said with pink rising in his face.  Victor dramatically flopped himself against the counter with a large, artificial sigh.  This made Yuuri laugh and Victor considered it entirely worth it, even if he’d gotten a little overzealous and practically slammed his side into the counter.

 

“ _Yuuri~”_ Victor crooned.  “I’m so torn I don’t know what to do, help me _Yura, dorogoy, kotyonok, myshka, zolotse..._ ” Victor supplied endless pet names as he stretched his arms out to grab Yuuri and make the boy comfort him for all his woes, but sadly the cute Japanese boy was just out of reach, and had no idea how clingy Victor was being.  Yuuri’s ears turned an alarming shade of red as he cleared his throat.

 

“Are you done mauling the piggy?” A harsh voice cut in behind Victor.  “Makes me want to puke, blegh.”  Yurio said dramatically while sticking his tongue out.  And with that, the tiny semblance of a flirtatious atmosphere and evaporated. 

 

“Oh, are you two leaving? It’s late enough that I think I can close for the night.” Yuuri said brightening.  Victor smiled in satisfaction; if only Yuuri knew.  Victor had secretly decided to push his practices with Yurio to later in the day just for this reason.  He’d decided the chance encounters at the inn and the five minutes here and there were definitely not enough time together, so Victor had made it so they could walk back together almost every night.  Yurio, being exhausted as he was after a long day of practice fortunately wouldn’t have the energy to object and would simply trudge along behind them at a safe distance; supposedly so no one knew they were a group.

 

“You know what? I don’t feel like being a third wheel _again_ tonight.  I’m going to run back to the inn.  Night, losers.” Yurio said with a short wave before jogging to the door and disappearing entirely. 

 

“Well.” Victor said surprised.

 

“Well indeed.” Yuuri said cracking a smile.  Victor had the impulse to lean over the counter and kiss the dark haired boy, but they had scarcely even touched since the night Yurio arrived.  Victor had tried to bridge the gap between them, but through no fault of either of them, Yuuri would move in such a way that would deflect Victor’s advances.  He couldn’t even count how many times in the last week he’d tried to hold Yuuri’s hand and the universe decided this was the exact time for Yuuri to sneeze; removing his hand from Victor’s range of motion.  Victor would feel bad to point out that Yuuri had been doing this considering it was so obviously not his fault, so he said nothing.  Besides the gap in their affection, Victor also worried that he would shock the boy so severely that Yuuri would promptly faint.

 

The walk from Ice Castle was peaceful as snow fluttered lightly across the city.

 

“It’s quiet tonight, don’t you think?” Victor said pushing hair out of his face.

 

“I think it’s just because Yurio isn’t here to break the silence.” Yuuri joked.  Victor laughed and patted the boy’s shoulder.

 

“You’re quite right _myshka._ ”

 

“You say that all the time.  What does it mean?” Yuuri said curiously.

 

“Oh they are all pet names.  You know, darling, kitten, and etcetera.” Victor said waving a hand dismissively.  Yuuri flushed and turned his face away, but Victor could tell he was trying to hide a smile.  It made his stomach flip with excitement.  “Do you not like it?”

 

“N-no! I mean, yes? Ah, it’s fine! Sorry.” Yuuri said scrambling.  He hid his face in his hands and whined.  Victor laughed and brushed dark hair out of Yuuri’s eyes, feeling the spark of connection he’d been longing for.  The brush of skin on skin, even if it was as innocent as this touch was, was enough for Victor to flush in turn.  He’d been so starved for Yuuri’s closeness it was like the flutter of a first crush.

 

“You’re so beautiful _Yura._ ” Victor said, caressing Yuuri’s cheek before continuing to walk beside him.  Yuuri huffed in dismay.

 

“Me? You’re the beautiful one Victor.”

 

“You can’t see! How would you know?” Victor said playfully as he poked Yuuri lightly.  Yuuri laughed and pushed his arm.

 

“Have you _seen_ my room Victor? Yes you have because you chased me out of the house with the shame of it all.”  Yuuri said in a mocking accusatory voice.

 

“So, you saw me at in the Junior league then?”

 

“Y-yes.  That’s why I was surprised when you mentioned you had short hair.” Yuuri said quickly as he quickened his pace.  Nervousness, Victor thought.  He lengthened his stride to keep up.

 

“Did you stop watching skating events after the accident?” Victor asked cautiously.  Yuuri was fairly open with him and treated his blindness as another part of a greater picture, but they’d never talked about it directly, or in serious conversation.  Victor was always worried he would ask for too much information and Yuuri would begin to despise him for it. 

 

“Uhm… no.  I guess Yuuko just never told me? I don’t know why.  It doesn’t make much sense does it?” Yuuri said furrowing his brow.  The look on Yuuri’s face told him that this would be addressed in the near future. 

 

“You’re really stuck on this routine huh?” Yuuri asked.  Victor sighed in exasperation. 

 

“I don’t know what it is! I can imagine a routine in my mind; all passion and fierceness, and it would suit Yurio perfectly.  But I feel like it’s far too predictable.”

 

“If predictability is what you’re worried about, then wouldn’t you just do the unexpected?  Like, the opposite of what you’re thinking?” Yuuri said tilting his head to the side.  “Not that I’m an expert.” He said with a nervous laugh.

 

“No, I think you’re right.” Victor said smiling. 

 

_Finally._

_Some real advice._

_Some real inspiration._

 

As they continued their walk, Yuuri beat him to the punch and intertwined their fingers together.  Victor sighed with relief at the warmth that filled his whole being when they connected properly for the first time in so long.  They moved onto smaller topics like the kids they both fawned over at the rink that day.  Yuuri would mention small, adorable  voices asking for skates, and Victor would accompany the story with detailed descriptions if he happened to know enough to talk about.  One that stood out to both of them was a little boy with a tutu came in to skate with his sister.  They were a matching pair in skates and tulle, and Victor couldn’t help but squeal.  Yurio would’ve protested more, but the little boy had whiskers on his face and enthusiastically told anyone who would listen, including Yurio, that he was not only a princess, but a kitty princess, and proceed to make a little growling noise.  The blond skater immediately melted and hardly worked on his twizzles like Victor had told him to.  Unfortunately, only a few minutes later the inn loomed in the distance and their alone time was brought to an end.

 

Unwillingly, Victor pulled away from Yuuri so that both of them wouldn’t be ambushed by Makkachin, who’d been waiting patiently for Victor all day.  Even though he hadn’t done much skating at all, Victor still felt incredibly tired once he got back to his room for the night.  Without Yurio’s constant shouting to distract him, his body had responded to the quiet by sagging in relief.  It felt like he hadn’t slept in two days.  Victor settled himself into bed and was catching up on various social media platforms when a knock came to his door.

 

“Come in.” He said lazily.  He assumed it might be Mari asking if he needed extra anything and didn’t bother to extricate himself from his laptop when the door opened.

 

“Victor? Is this the right room?” Yuuri said in a loud whisper.  It was quite late, and Victor thought this behavior was downright adorable.

 

“Yes, it’s me.” He said returning the funny whisper.  “What do you need _Yura?_ ” Hesitantly, Yuuri stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.  Victor could see there was a laptop under his arm as he crept toward the bed very slowly.  One of his arms was extended in front of him to ensure he didn’t run into anything.

 

“Sorry, give me a second, I don’t know this room very well now that there’s stuff in it.” Yuuri said with a smile too bright for the lateness of the evening.  It gave Victor chills all over.  Once Yuuri made it to the bedside, Victor took his hand to help him sit down with less strain. 

 

“I’ve been thinking, you said you want Yurio’s short program to be really unexpected so I thought, what totally contradicts what I’ve learned about him so far?” Yuuri said as he set his laptop on his knees and plugged a set of headphones into it.

 

“Innocence.” Yuuri said assuredly.  “He might be just a kid, but he acts like he knows everything and refuses to complete a sentence without swearing.”  Yuuri tapped away at the keys on the laptop and stuck one of the headphones in his ears.

 

“So with that in mind, I remembered this song I was thinking of skating to before the accident.” Yuuri stiffened a little at his own words, but offered a headphone to Victor.

 

“Tell me what you think? I hope this doesn’t seem weird, but I like Yurio and I want to help.” Yuuri said plainly.

 

“You like him?” Victor said in amazement.

 

“Well, he might be a bit prickly, but he’s a good kid.  Mari caught him feeding a stray cat the other day, did I tell you that? I can’t remember.”  Yuuri said nonchalantly.

 

“You didn’t! That’s adorable.  Did she get any pictures?” Victor asked.

 

“I think so? I’ll tell her you asked.” Yuuri said smiling.  “Alright, now listen to the song and tell me if I hit the mark.”  Yuuri pressed a button on the laptop and music flowed through the headphones.  It began with a lovely woman’s voice singing presumably in Latin.  The piece grew to include an impressive orchestra, and spoke all of softness and gentleness.

 

“This is fantastic Yuuri!” Victor said as he continued to listen to the piece.  His mind was whirling as various instruments kept inspiring choreography in his mind.  A spin here, a lunge there, a jump somewhere in the middle.  Victor was absolutely invigorated and would have to get a pen and paper immediately to capture all of his thoughts so in the morning he could make coherent sense of the mess on the pages.

 

“It’s absolutely perfect.  What’s it called?” 

 

“Let’s see, I think I can highlight it and have it read to me.” Yuuri said focusing as he moved across the keyboard.  Yuuri’s computer was nothing like Victor had ever seen.  It was obviously running a program specifically for blind people, so there were no images on the screen, simply lines of code and written messages.

 

“Oh actually I think I see the title.” Victor said pointing, but he realized that was useless and put his hand down.  He hoped eventually, the longer he knew Yuuri, he would stop doing stupid things like these.

 

“It says On Love: Agape.” Victor said reading slowly to ensure he pronounced the word correctly.

 

“Yes that’s it!” Yuuri said excitedly.  “You really like it?”

 

“Absolutely.” Victor kissed Yuuri’s cheek and laid a hand on his shoulder.  “Thank you.”  Yuuri flushed darkly, even that was obvious with only the light of the dull screen.

 

“I’ll let you get to sleep.”  Yuuri said as he closed his laptop.  Before Victor could protest, Yuuri was at the door.  “Good night Victor.” Yuuri said turning back as he began to pull the door shut.

 

“ _Spokoynoy nochi dorogaya sladkiye mechty_.” A beautiful flush appeared on Yuuri’s face as his eyes sparkled and he closed the door smiling.  Then Victor was alone only with his thoughts. 

 

 _Agape_.  Victor thought latently.  He searched the word on his phone and found it meant unconditional love.  It would be a miraculous feat for Yurio to channel something as pure as agape, and immediately knew it was the right decision for the young skater. 

 

Victor couldn’t believe how incredible Yuuri was.  In a single day he’d broken through a week of turmoil and confusion over how Victor should handle Yurio’s program, and single handedly picked the music _and_ the theme.  Yuuri never ceased to surprise him, and he hoped that would never change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I wouldn't have half the motivation I do to continue this story without the lovely people who leave kudos and comments! :)
> 
> PS If you've been reading this regularly or if you'd like to, I tend to update around midnight!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter for you! :) Also, wow??? Everyone seems to like this so much and I'm incredibly flattered??? These characters will always have a special place in my heart, so I can only say thank you to everyone who enjoys how I interpret them in this story.

“No, no, stop!” Victor cried before Yurio could launch himself into a jump.  The blond boy groaned and skated over towards his coach.

 

“What now? I’m doing it just like you showed me!” He huffed in frustration. 

 

“But it doesn’t feel like anything.  Where is your agape? You need to _feel_ the music Yurio.” Victor said embellishing with grandiose hand gestures.  “Find out what agape means to you.” Brows furrowed, the blond pointed an accusatory finger.

 

“Really? Then what does agape mean to you huh?” He spat aggressively.  Victor thought for a moment before responding.

 

“It doesn’t matter what I think, it’s your piece Yurio, I can’t skate it for you.” Victor said bluntly.  The boy just gaped at him and skated away in anger.  “Now try again! Show me your unconditional love and acceptance.” Victor said cupping his hands around his mouth.

 

“I’LL SHOW YOU WHERE YOU CAN FIND—“

 

“How’s it going boys?” Yuuri said interrupting.  There was a smile on his face as he reached out to find the ledge of the rink wall.

 

“Yurio is floundering.” Victor said conspiratorially.  “Isn’t that right Yurio?” Victor called more loudly.

 

“Hah?” Yurio cried from the center of the ice.  Yuuri laughed and leaned against the half wall.

 

“How’d you like the music Yurio?” Yuuri called to him.

 

“It’s mushy and stupid!” Yurio called as he skated back to the side of the rink.  Apparently he didn’t feel like yelling, which seemed out of the ordinary to Victor, but he let it slide.

 

“But did you like it?” Yuuri said mischievously.

 

“It’s fine I guess.” Yurio mumbled crossing his arms.  Yuuri smiled widely.

 

“I’m glad! It was one of my favorite pieces to skate to when I first started.” Yurio’s brow quirked at that comment.

 

“You used to skate? Were you any good?” Yurio asked seeming genuinely curious.

 

“Well I don’t know about that, but I was close to being certified by the JSF before the accident.” Yuuri said nonchalantly.  Yurio’s eyes widened in surprise and he gave a silent nod.  Realizing this gesture wouldn’t reach it’s target, he gave a noncommittal grunt.

 

Victor smiled at the ease of the situation.  They had worked out a training schedule at the Ice Castle for private time on the ice with Yuuko, meaning the three of them were the only ones in the rink.  Apparently Yuuri had been volunteered to be the designated on staff employee during their training sessions since they didn’t like to leave the rink unattended.  It had been a fairly long, and from Victor’s perspective, unproductive day of practice.  His back was sore from standing all day, having to be ready to correct Yurio on the ice when needed, which had been more than he’d wanted.  Yurio had all the spins and jumps down, but everything was stiff and angry, which was worse than being emotionless.

 

“I think I’m going to step out for tea, do you want something?” Victor said placing a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder so the dark haired employee would know who was being spoken to.

 

“N-no thanks, I’m fine.” Yuuri said shyly.

 

“Well if you change your mind, text me!” Victor said patting his shoulder.  “Where’s your phone? I’ll put in my number.” Yuuri started and went digging for his phone.

 

“Here you go.” Victor took it handily put his number into Yuuri’s contacts.  He added roughly four or five emojis to the end of his name before handing the phone back to Yuuri.  Yurio made a noise like a cat hacking up a fur ball.

 

“You just put it in as Victor, right? I use voice command most of the time.” Yurio leaned over Yuuri’s shoulder to check the screen and turned sheet white.  He quickly grabbed the phone from Yuuri and edited the contact, much to Victor’s protests.

 

“You’re disgusting old man.” Yurio spat at him before handing the phone back to Yuuri, who had a confused but amused look on his face.

 

“Was it really that bad?” Yuuri said leaning towards the blond boy on the other side of the half wall, who was almost as tall as him on skates.

 

“He’s a perverted geezer with no boundaries.” Yurio said with disdain.  Yuuri laughed and felt around to pat Yurio’s head.

 

“Well thank you for fixing it Yurio.” Yuuri said as he put his phone back in his pocket.  Victor pouted and made to defend himself, but Yurio gave him an awful glare.  Victor was too tired to deal with that glare, so he said his goodbyes and buttoned up his coat to face the brisk wind that Hasetsu was having that day.  Victor wished he’d asked for directions to a café nearby before he left because he was bound to get entirely lost.  After having walked around the general area for 15 minutes, he caved and tried to use Google maps for recommendations. 

 

Just his luck, a storefront he’d passed multiple times was in fact a well rated café.  Walking inside, he was immediately met with the smell of pastries and tea.  The teenage girl behind the counter had silver hair like Victor’s and they bonded over their shared locks.  Victor learned however that she colored her hair like that and was amazed that his hair was natural.

 

“I’m so jealous! It took me literal weeks to get it this light.” She said pulling at a strand while she sorted his change at the cash register.

 

“In any case it looks beautiful on you.” He said winking as he received his change.  Instead of the typical swooning Victor had become accustom to with teenage girls, she gave him a hair flip and an extravagant thank you before setting to work on his tea.  This made his laugh and he was very glad he’d picked this place in particular.  They made some more small talk and Victor found himself losing track of time, just enjoying the company of a genuinely nice person.  He made a point to leave a generous tip and learn her name, Ayame, before he left the shop.  He would definitely be coming back.

 

Checking his phone on his way out of the café, Victor found it had been a full 45 minutes since he’d left and felt rather guilty.  Not for abandoning Yurio, but for abandoning Yuuri _with_ Yurio.  He shockingly made quick work of the walk back to the rink once he found a familiar road among the many in the small city, and was opening the front doors after only a few minutes of walking.  Once he’d rounded the corner towards the ice, he was met with a very unexpected sight, Yurio leaning over Yuuri in a protective stance, holding an ice pack against the blind boy’s forehead.  Victor’s heart began to race and he nearly sprinted to Yuuri’s side.

 

“Yuuri! Is everything alright? Yurio what did you do?” Victor said kneeling in front of the dark haired boy sitting on the bench and absentmindedly placing hands on the knees in front of him.

 

“I did nothing!” Yurio said indignantly.  “Okay, I over rotated _one_ jump and Katsudon decides to play knight in shining armor.” Yurio said repositioning the ice on Yuuri’s forehead.  Yuuri huffed and took the ice to hold himself.

 

“Okay he hit the ice _very loudly_ and I thought something was wrong! He didn’t answer when I called to see if he was okay!” Yuuri said pleadingly to Victor.

 

“Yurio!” Victor said immediately jumping to Yuuri’s defense.  Yurio squinted at him and flipped a middle finger.

 

“That doesn’t mean you attempt to find me on the ice with your walking shoes dummy.” Yurio said bluntly, but not unkindly to Yuuri.  “How did you expect to help if you can’t even see the problem?” Yurio said poking at Yuuri.

 

“I panicked!” Yuuri said as he laughed a little, then winced at the vibration.  Victor quickly moved to cup Yuuri’s face and assess the damage.

 

“Nothing is bleeding, so that’s a good sign.  Do you feel dizzy? Do you need to see a doctor? Are there black spots floating in front of you?” Victor said worrying over him.  Yuuri patted the hand at his cheek with the hand that wasn’t holding ice to his right temple.

 

“Even if there were black spots I don’t think I’d notice Victor.”  Yuuri said laughing with more restraint.  “I am sad though, I think I broke my glasses.”  Yuuri pouted and gestured to the missing pair of spectacles on his face.  Looking out onto the ice, Victor could indeed see a mangled blue _something_ in the distance.  He’d make sure to leave a note for Yuuko.  Victor stood and made a silent agreement with Yurio.

 

“Why don’t we end practice for the day and get you home then?” Victor said taking Yuuri’s hand to help him up.

 

“No, I don’t want to end your practice early I can wait.”

 

“Don’t be stupid, we don’t need you falling face first in the onsen later, let’s go.” Yurio said shoving Yuuri towards the door bodily.  Yuuri stumbled and threw his hands out in front of him.

 

“Woah! Too fast.” He said steadying himself.  Yurio moved to lightly guide Yuuri by the shoulders and continued walking towards the door.  Their pace evened out and Victor followed them smiling.

 

_Yurio was making friends!_

As soon as they stepped foot through the door, Hiroko-san was right there waiting for them, supposedly having seen them walk Yuuri up the steps with ice on his head.  She spoke in rushed Japanese asking what had happened and guided Yuuri to the dining room.  Her hands mimicked Victor’s at the rink when she cupped his face to see if he was properly hurt.  She then gestured for the rest of them to sit at the table as she fussed about.

 

“Mom I’m fine really.” Yuuri said, sounding like this wasn’t the first time he’d said it, but Victor had no idea since they’d been speaking in Japanese for the last few minutes as she busied herself getting them all food.

 

“You say that now…” She said scornfully.  Yuuri rolled his eyes and cracked a small smile.

 

“Well I can’t exactly go blind _again_ can I?” He said casually.  Victor held his breath wondering if Yuuri’s mother would take that as the joke it was, but he apparently worried himself too much.  She simply shook her head in the ‘what am I going to do with you?’ sort of way parents do.  She made a tsk-ing noise for Yuuri’s benefit and he smiled wider.

 

After dinner, Yurio fell asleep at the table, and Victor didn’t see fit to wake him just yet.  Yuuri was affectionately playing with the younger boys hair in soft strokes since he’d already finished his dinner.

 

“You know that’s Yurio and not Makkachin, right _myshka?_ ” Victor teased.  Yuuri’s hands stilled for a miniscule moment before he exhaled a laugh and dropped his hand.

 

“Well they’re both very soft.” Yuuri said in his defense.  He pushed his bowl away and made as if to stand.  Victor was quickly by his side to ensure that any wobbling could be subsided.  With their hands clasped together, they faced each other in the quiet of the empty dining room and Yuuri smiled warmly.

 

“Would you be so kind?” Yuuri said linking their arms together. 

 

“Why but of course _zolotse._ ” Victor said as he led them upstairs to Yuuri’s room.  He noticed a stark difference between the last time he was here, seeing that all of the posters had been hastily removed.  Victor sighed inwardly, but chose not to say anything in case Yuuri would be overcome by embarrassment as terribly as the first time.  Once they were in the safety of Yuuri’s room, the blind boy yawned and got into bed.  Victor marveled at how irresistibly cute he was and sat at Yuuri’s bedside. 

 

“It’s still a bit early, do you want to sleep?” Victor said in a low voice as he brushed hair away from Yuuri’s face.  Without his glasses and his hair pushed away, Victor could see the sharpness of Yuuri’s seemingly soft features and the length of his dark lashes. 

 

“I’m alright for now, I think I just needed to lie down.” Yuuri said sounding tired.

 

“Hmm.” Victor assented.  His fingers traced lightly on Yuuri’s cheek before dipping lower to caress the boy’s shoulder.  “Whatever you need.” Victor said, and he meant it. 

 

Slowly, Yuuri lifted his hand to find Victor’s face and Victor leaned into the touch.  Heat stirred in him, but he was wary about pushing Yuuri too fast, even though they’d been so close to something incredible only weeks ago.  They hadn’t shared intimate closeness like this in so long and Victor was aching for more than just to hold hands.  Yuuri took him by surprise when hands encircled his neck swiftly and pulled him down to close the space between them.  The kiss was crushing and hot, and Victor clutched onto Yuuri for dear life.  They explored each other’s mouths with reckless abandon and let their hands roam freely; only breaking away to remove each other’s shirts, but immediately returning to the warm entanglement they found themselves lost in. 

 

Without breaking contact, Victor slotted his body over Yuuri’s on the bed to hold the dark haired boy more tightly.  Victor kissed a line down Yuuri’s neck and sucked at the soft skin there.  Yuuri exhaled and arched into the sensation as his curled fingers kneeded into the flesh of Victor’s bare back.  The slip of skin on skin was intoxicating as they breathed against each other.  The way Yuuri tasted was driving Victor absolutely crazy and he couldn’t help but moan the other boy’s name against his mouth.

 

Yuuri pulled away to regain his breath, his hands pushing lightly against Victor’s chest.  Their foreheads connected, as Yuuri panted hard.  His breath was coming out short and Victor was almost proud to elicit that kind of response from the other boy.  Yuuri moved his hands to grip Victor’s shoulders tightly as he continued to breathe heavily.

 

“Sorry… I feel really dizzy.” Yuuri said still gripping Victor’s shoulders, only now Victor worried it was for purchase and stability, not closeness.  The haze of passion that had clouded his thoughts quickly vanished as he went into a slight panic.  He pushed the majority of his weight off of Yuuri’s body and sat upright to better see the dazed expression, and intense flush on Yuuri’s face.  Victor didn’t know how much of what he was seeing was passion and how much was indicative of Yuuri’s injury, which didn’t help Victor’s climbing heart rate.  Victor silently cursed himself for possibly making Yuuri's physical condition worse.

 

“Do you need anything? Water?” Victor said looking around for something, _anything_ that could help.

 

“There’s a water bottle on my desk.” Yuuri said sounding winded.  Victor practically jumped the length of the room to get to it as quickly as possible, and give it to Yuuri.  After a few desperate sips, Yuuri’s breath seemed to even out and he closed his eyes as he laid against the pillow.  Victor instantly felt guilty for pushing Yuuri like that directly after a head injury.  He let his want get in the way of what was best for the boy he so adored and didn’t know how he would’ve lived with himself if something had truly gone wrong.

 

“I should let you rest _dorogoy._ ” Victor said reluctantly.  He gave Yuuri’s forehead a feather light kiss before rising off the bed, but was stopped mid-stride by a hand on his arm.

 

“Stay the night.” Yuuri said softly.  He was leaning against the pillow, propped on his elbow, and his blind eyes were glistening in the low light of the evening.  Victor felt heat rise on his cheeks as he turned round again and sank onto the mattress.

 

“Your wish is my command.” Victor said quietly.  He wrapped them up in the blankets of the bed and let Yuuri nestle into him as they tangled together once more.  Their bodies fit together like they were specially made molds and Victor could feel his heart rate slowing back to normal with Yuuri in his embrace.  It was moments like these that Victor deemed almost better than any kiss Yuuri could give him.  _Almost._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed that! If there's a particular direction you'd like to see the story take I would love to hear it!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I apologize that this is mostly fluff and nothing of substance! I'm at a bit of a block for the story progression, but I still wanted to write. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> PLEASE READ!
> 
> PS I've added a bit of substance to this chapter at the very end! It felt a bit incomplete to me, so I finished it a bit better! I hope you enjoy even though this is hardly a whole new chapter. I hope I can get more out to you soon!

Without dreaming, it was hard to find a hard line between consciousness and unconsciousness.  Victor realized after about twenty minutes of useless meandering thought that he was in fact awake and cocooned under blankets and tangled up with Yuuri.  Warm puffs of breath permeated the fabric of his shirt as he smoothed his fingers through silky black hair.  Yuuri’s forehead lay gently against Victor’s chest and the heat rising off of the both of them was stifling.  Glancing around for a clock of some kind, Victor spotted his phone and tapped a few buttons aimlessly.  It was fairly early in the morning and definitely not the proper time to get up, but Yuuri’s comforting presence had lulled him to sleep much sooner than he’d intended the night before.

 

Still running a hand through dark hair, Victor scrolled through various social media apps in the hopes of waiting out the morning for Yuuri to wake up.  Victor pulled away slightly to check on Yuuri’s wounds and found purple and green skin just above his brow.  Victor gave butterfly soft kisses to the skin there and peppered a few more kisses on Yuuri’s face for good measure.  He reveled in the fact that he could dote on Yuuri like this and his thoughts floated back to the events of the night prior.

 

_Stay the night._

 

It was like a key unlocking the inner most aspects of Victor’s capacity for affection.  He’d had lovers before of course, but none had ever been so genuinely interested in his company unless it directly involved sex.  He realized in that moment, in a sort of epiphany, that it hadn’t been other people not wanting to get to know him, but he himself would get bored and break things off before they could drag on for too long.  Victor clearly remembered a girl from Russia, thinking it would be a simple and mutual thing to end it; they’d dated for a few months or so and had never discussed moving the relationship past hooking up when they were both free, but she had been very upset and shed a few tears when she thought he wasn’t looking when he broke things off.   

 

This revelation stunned him into silent contemplation as he continued to stroke Yuuri’s hair.  How long had he been holding back from truly experiencing a real relationship with proper feelings and commitment? He couldn’t think of a single time he’d opened himself up to be vulnerable the way that he allowed himself almost as an afterthought the way he did with Yuuri.  Victor couldn’t imagine what their relationship would possibly be like if Victor had been holding back all this time, but he didn’t want to dwell on it for too long.  The thought of not getting to know Yuuri, not feeling the softness of his skin, his lips; not knowing the way his eyes crinkle when he honest to goodness laughs with his whole body, not knowing the way those warm brown eyes sparkled regardless of whether they could see him or not, but responded that way because of the sound of his voice and his presence alone.  Victor felt a jolt of emotion course through him as these thoughts swam around in his mind, and he drew his hands down to cup Yuuri’s face, bringing their foreheads together as Victor moved to circle Yuuri in his embrace.  Yuuri groaned cutely in his sleep as he readjusted himself in Victor’s hold, and touched their noses together in a light Eskimo kiss.  Victor’s eyes shone with affection and he did his best to suppress the giggle that was trying to escape his lips.

 

“Why are you laughing.” Yuuri said groggily, without opening his eyes.

 

“Did I wake you _zolotse?_ ” Victor said in a more gravelly voice than he’d anticipated.  “You’re just being so cute.”  Victor pressed a feather light kiss to Yuuri’s lips and proceeded to let some of his giggles out.  Yuuri smiled and opened his eyes.

 

“Good morning then.” Yuuri said returning the favor with a soft kiss.

 

“Good morning _dorogoy._ ” Victor said huskily against Yuuri’s mouth before pressing him with another kiss.  Their previously sleep ridden bodies lazily moved to roam each other incessantly.  They kissed for what felt like hours, just enjoying each other’s company and stopping to talk about silly things in between kisses.  Eventually, and far too soon for Victor’s taste, Yuuri pulled away to stretch the lethargy from his muscles.

 

“What time is it?” He said with a yawn.

 

“Last time I checked it was just shy of 4:30, so it’s most likely still very early.” Victor grabbed for his phone again to check.  “It’s only 6, darling.” Victor said setting his phone back down.

 

“Darling?” Yuuri said mischievously, a finger hovering lightly over Victor’s mouth.

 

“Does that surprise you? I call you that constantly.  _Dorogoy_.” Victor took Yuuri’s hand and kissed the inside of his wrist.  The gasp sent tingles all throughout Victor’s body as pink surfaced on Yuuri’s cheeks.  “Is it early enough for us to have the onsen to ourselves, you think?” Victor said, emboldened by the reaction he elicited.

 

“No my parents are most likely up.” Yuuri explained.  “They start breakfast prep about now.”

 

“What does that have to do with the hot springs?” Victor said hotly against Yuuri’s cheek.

 

“G-guests sometimes ask for a wake-up call so they can use the hot springs undisturbed.  I think Mom mentioned there’s one with that kind of request here now.” Yuuri said with pink turning to red.  Victor leaned his head against the pillow and whined.  Yuuri chuckled and deftly ran hands through Victor’s hair.  They stayed in bed a while longer, much to Yuuri’s protest that they start the day properly.  Victor coaxed him with kisses and touches that left them both in a haze.  Victor could feel himself begin to stir and ground his hips against Yuuri’s leg.  A low moan came from Yuuri’s mouth before it was muffled by more kisses.  Victor had hopes that they would actually get somewhere when a knock came at the door.  

 

“Yuuri?” Hiroko-san’s voice called.  This was followed by soft but quick Japanese to which Yuuri responded in kind.  Victor looked at him expectantly.

 

“Everything alright?” He eventually asked.

 

“She just wanted to make sure I didn’t sleep too long.  She was worrying over last night.” Yuuri said dismissively before finally making Victor let go of him so he could stand and stretch properly.  Victor got to see a lovely sliver of skin as Yuuri’s shirt rose with his arm’s stretched above his head.  Sometime during the night they’d both gotten cold regardless of their shared body heat and had to put clothes back on before settling in to sleep.  Victor realized he didn’t regret it in the slightest when he saw that Yuuri had kicked his sweatpants off in the night and he was treated to the sight of Yuuri’s uncovered hindquarters.

 

_Wow._

“I wish you would dress like this more often.” Victor crooned as he propped himself up on his elbow, gazing at Yuuri unabashedly in the soft light of the morning.  Yuuri laughed and threw something at him.  They walked downstairs together, but Victor let Yuuri go to breakfast alone so he could check in on Makkachin, who was dozing upside down on the bed in his room.  He gave belly rubs and kisses before relenting to take her to the common area to stretch her legs.  He sometimes wished Makka was smaller so there wouldn’t be a threat of bowling someone over when the dog was running, but there were no other customers to be seen in the halls that lead to the dining room.

 

Victor heard a thud and a surprised cry in the dining room before he turned the corner, and walked in to find Yuuri flat on his back with a doting dog hovering above him, slobbering out kisses left and right.  Yuuri laughed and tried to push Makkachin off of him before Victor whistled and the dog dutifully returned to his side.

 

“Sorry about that.” Victor said rubbing his neck in embarrassment.

 

“It’s fine, it’s nice to have a dog around.” Yuuri said smiling.  Victor worried that the smile would turn sad when Yuuri remembered his own dog, but it didn’t.  They had breakfast together, chatting away with Makkachin circling endlessly in search of scraps.

 

“Yuuri~!” Victor whined at him when he’d given Makkachin _another_ piece of his breakfast.

 

“What?” Yuuri said innocently.

 

“You might be blind, but I’m not.  If you spoil him like that he’s going to get chubby.” Victor said and couldn’t help but laugh.  Yuuri giggled and waved a hand noncommittally, and a loud groan came from around the corner.  Looking up Victor saw the small blond skater trudge across the room to their table and plop down.

 

“Good morning Yurio! Sleep well?” Victor said cheerily.  Yurio effectively slammed his face against the table and groaned as Hiroko patted him on the head and set down a breakfast tray for him.

 

“ _Dermo,_ I forgot you’re a morning person.  It’s the ass-crack of dawn Vitya.” Yurio said looking like a raccoon with how big the dark circles were under his eyes.

 

“Well I hope you’re ready to practice hard! We still have a lot of work to do.” Victor said in a singsong voice.  Yurio groaned even more loudly and returned his head to the table.

 

“Why did I even come here?” Yurio said to himself.  Yuuri laughed and patted the 15 year old on the shoulder affectionately.  Victor smiled at the scene in front of him, and knew it would be a good day.

 

Yurio had made surprising progress with Agape, and it was all thanks to Yuuri.  Due to the fact that all of the sessions were private and Yuuri really only stayed to keep the boys company at this point, he was a crucial part of Yurio’s thought process when it came to the short program.

              

“Do you think about anyone in particular?” Yuuri asked as the other boy rolled his shoulders to relieve some of their tension. 

 

“My grandpa.” Yurio said curtly.  Victor cooed internally, not wanting to deal with possibly genuine threats of being on the receiving end of Yurio’s ‘knife shoes’ as he liked to call them. 

 

Yuuri hummed in thought.   “So do you imagine yourself performing this to him? Or do you just think about your relationship?”  Yurio furrowed his brow in response.  “There isn’t a right or wrong answer, I’m just curious.” Yuuri explained.

 

“I guess… I just think about him?” Yurio said unsure.  Yuuri leaned toward the blond boy and clasped his hands together.

 

“Do you know what this song means Yurio?”

 

“Pfft, of course I do! It’s about love.” Yurio huffed in annoyance.

 

“No, it’s about unconditional love, specifically.” Yuuri pointed out.  “And do you know what the lyrics mean?” The dark haired boy pressed.  Yurio looked uncomfortable.

 

“… _No_.” He surrendered. 

  
“Well that’s what you should be working on.  How can you perform a piece if you don’t know what it’s saying?” Yuuri scolded.  It held the same affection as a teacher Victor noticed, and marveled at how calm Yurio was despite being thoroughly critiqued by someone who veritably didn’t have a huge wealth of knowledge in terms of ice skating.  The way Yuuri spoke reminded Victor of a primary teacher explaining to one of the children that sharing was important.  Yurio stared embarrassed at the ice bellow his feet and nodded in silence.

 

“Yurio?”

 

“Hah? Oh, yeah I got it.” Yurio said flushing once he realized he’d made a nonverbal cue to an extremely blind person.  Yuuri smiled in a ‘ _what am I going to do with you?’_ sort of way that made Victor’s heart flutter.

 

“If it helps,” Yuuri started as he stood from the bench next to the rink, “the person singing the song is actually a young boy, so maybe you could skate as if you’re singing it to him? I don’t know if that makes a lot of sense, but it’s worth a shot!” Yuuri said smiling as he left Victor and Yurio to practice.  Despite seeming to be around just for the company, it turned out Yuuri had a bit of work to do.  Victor was disappointed by the loss on the bench next to him, but recovered quickly enough to see the awe in Yurio’s expression.  Victor cleared his throat to spare the blond any further embarrassment considering they had more practicing to get to.

 

“What are you thinking Yurio?” Victor said measuredly.

 

“For one thing, I think that’s not my name.” Yurio said bitterly.  “For another, the piggy is a better coach than you.”  Yurio said before skating to the center of the rink.  Victor chuckled and began the music again for Agape.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you for your patience! Turns out I wasn't overreacting and I in fact have the flu. I'm on the mend though! Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy!

As practice continued, Victor became acutely aware of the nagging sense that he wasn’t where he was supposed to be.  Yurio was growing impatient with the flimsy excuses he was producing as reasons for staying in Japan, and Victor was running out of them to begin with.  There wasn’t a real reason for them to be training in Japan considering Yakov and their home rink were in Russia.  Anxiety found it’s way into Victor’s mind more than he was used to as the next few days progressed and Yurio was peaking in his rehearsal of the short program.  There wasn’t much for Victor to criticize besides the blond teen’s lack of emotional connection.  Everything was technically and aesthetically perfect otherwise.  What was worse, was Yuuri had somehow picked up on it.

                                                

“It sounds like you’re spinning your wheels Yurio.” The dark haired boy said casually one day when they had the rink to themselves.  Yurio gave him a sour and confused expression.

 

“What the hell does that mean?” The blond asked.  “Is that an American thing?”  Yurio was doing up his sneakers as they were done for the day, and paused while tying one of the laces.

 

“It sounds like you’re not making progress.” Yuuri clarified.  The blond boy huffed and tossed his arms in the air in defeat.

 

“Of course I’m not! I’m doing everything perfectly but _Victor_ doesn’t like it!”  Victor gave him a dry smile.

 

“Your agape is still inconsistent Yurio, so no, you aren’t doing everything perfectly.” Victor retorted.  The blond boy turned red and began shouting a string of Russian profanities.  Victor simply sighed and stared at nothing in the distance, waiting for the tirade to come to an end.

 

“- _and maybe if you got your head out of your ass and asked him out he’d just come with us to Russia!_ ” Yurio finished yelling.  He stomped out of the rink muttering nonsense somewhere in between English and Russian, slamming the door in the process.

 

“Well, that was aggressive.” Yuuri said cracking a smile.  “What was that all about?”  Victor was glad Yuuri couldn’t see how red his face was as he composed himself to respond.

 

“He wants to go back to Russia.” Victor said shortly.  Yuuri hummed in agreement.

 

“Makes sense; you aren’t really his coach right? So he probably wants to get back and start working on the rest of the season.”  Yuuri seemed to remember something in that moment and gasped.  “Did he get his assignments yet?”  Victor had entirely forgotten about the assignments for the year.  The comment startled him back into the reality that if he wanted to continue as a skater, he as well needed to start working on routines.

 

“Not just yet.  Within the next week I suppose?” Victor said trying to keep himself calm. 

 

Yuuri nodded in understanding and visibly relaxed.  Was Victor ready to return to the ice? Did he even want to? All he ever really wanted to do lately was spend time with Yuuri.  If he was in fact returning to the ice, he’d be receiving his assignments within the week as well.  If not, he needed to clarify with the ISU or the RSF that he wouldn’t be competing.  Yakov and his rink mates would surely have something to say about it, and the comments relentlessly swirled in his mind.  This newfound responsibility made his heart thump dangerously loud in his throat.  Victor was unusually quiet on the walk home from the rink that evening, but Yuuri didn’t comment on it if he thought anything of it. 

 

Victor couldn’t seem to get out of his own head about all of it.  He’d been slacking off for God knows how long in Japan, running away from his problems.  Of course Yuuri had brought a spark back into his life, but Victor had only once translated that feeling into a semi-cohesive routine on the ice, and he had no idea if he could replicate it.  The idea of returning to the skating scene he’d known for the past five years made him feel tired and brought up the grudging feeling that it wasn’t right.  Victor had proven he was the best so many times, it didn’t mean anything to him to win anymore.  What was the point if nothing ever changed?

 

Lying in bed with Makkachin, thoughts of putting together a short program and free skate for the upcoming season made him _exhausted._   As he stared at the ceiling, he couldn’t find a single reason to continue skating in the season to come.  He loved the ice, but there was nothing new or challenging about it anymore.  Victor could feel himself starting to wallow, and rather than let it begin to fester, he clipped Makkachin into the lead by the door and set out into the winding streets of Hasestu.  The last time Victor had let himself wallow in the misery of monotony, he hadn’t left his apartment for a week.  The night air was cool on his skin as he walked down familiar and unknown streets.  Makkachin panted happily at the chance to stretch those fluffy legs and explore the glowing surroundings in the fluorescence of nighttime. 

 

Victor found himself walking towards Ice Castle since that was really the only place he knew, and considered skating to clear his mind.  Could skating help him even if his problem was the ice? On the way, he passed the quaint little coffee shop from before, and stopped in thinking tea would calm his nerves enough to let his mind wander.  As the door swung open, he was greeted once again by the bubbly girl Ayame from his first visit.

 

“Hey! Welcome back!” She said cheerily as she recognized who had come in.  Victor was warmed by how genuine her smile was at seeing him.  “What can I getcha?”

 

“Peppermint tea; no cream or sugar.” Victor said returning the smile.

 

“Great! I’ll get started then.” She said as she twirled away into a flurry of movement behind the counter.  Victor noticed then just how small she was, as she was struggling beyond belief to reach the tea packets that had been cruelly left on top of a high shelf.

 

“Uhm, do you need any help?” Victor offered.  Her shoulders sagged and she turned to give him a comically pathetic look. 

 

“You can’t tell my boss.” She said conspiratorially as she lifted part of the counter to let him through.  He laughed and took down the tea box for her.  Thanking him she lowered the countertop again once he resumed his place on the other side.  “So, you having a good day today?” She said as she poured hot water into a to-go cup.  “I hope this doesn’t sound rude or anything, but you look tired.”

 

“It’s been a bit of a mixed affair to be quite honest.” Victor said surprising himself.  She glanced up at him, arching an eyebrow in the process.

 

“Is that so?”

 

“Yes, hence the tea.” Victor said with a gesture as she set the cup before him.  A sly grin spread across her face.

 

“Boy problems?” She said teasingly. 

 

“Shockingly no.” Victor said with a smirk.  He debated how much he was willing to unload on a girl he barely knew.  “Not enjoying my job like I used to.” He said trying to be as vague as possible.  She nodded in understanding.

 

“I hope things turn around for you! You seem nice.” She said sweetly.  She handed him a brown pastry bag and leaned over the counter slightly.  “Here, this is for the big ball of fluff outside.” She winked and pointed to Makkachin.  He thanked her and headed back outside to the designated ball of fluff to continue their walk.  If Victor had been looking for sage wisdom from the barista, it was clear that wasn’t in her repertoire, but the lighthearted attitude and giggles definitely made his day feel a bit less strenuous. 

 

He decided against skating for the night since Makkachin had come down from whatever sugar high the pastry had given, and was close to lying down in the middle of the street; a problem Victor had encountered before, and was not eager to repeat.  The walk back to the inn took virtually no time since his mind couldn’t focus on anything substantial for too long.  The tea had mellowed him out entirely and he was glad for it.   Deciding that he didn’t want the warm feeling to end, but unfortunately running out of tea, Victor donned a robe and made his way to the onsen.  To his surprise, he could hear chatting echoing across the water.  He hadn’t expected anyone else to be here since it was fairly close to the dinner hour, and the dining room had appeared rather busy.  Looking into the room he found Yuuri and Yurio deep in conversation.  The sight was a bit startling as he’d never seen Yurio so relaxed and unhindered before.  There was no sign of strain or anger in his expression, which was something Victor had never witnessed.  They spoke in relatively low voices even though they had seemingly been alone for a while.  It didn’t last for long however, as Yuuri’s posture stiffened when Victor accidentally splashed a bit getting into the water.

 

“Someone’s here.” Yuuri said midsentence. 

 

“Wow, I forgot how good your hearing is.” Victor said smoothly as he moved farther into the water to meet the boys.  Yurio’s face soured and he rolled his eyes dramatically.

 

“Alright, I’m leaving.  See you later Katsudon.” Victor pouted.

 

“ _You’re leaving because of me?”_ Victor said in Russian, mock hurt in his voice.

 

“ _I don’t want to be scarred for life by you two! So yes I’m leaving you perv!”_ Yurio waded out of the water, and soon the door slammed behind him.

 

“What were you two talking about?” Victor asked curiously.  “I’ve never seen him so calm.” Yuuri’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

 

“Really? It wasn’t so interesting.  He wanted to know what kind of skater I was before the accident.” Yuuri dipped lower into the water so his shoulders were covered.  Victor copied this motion and settled into the soft heat of the spring.  His muscles thanked him immediately as he released the tension that had stored in his muscles and joints all day in the chill of the rink.

 

“Oh, and what kind of skater was that _dorogoy?_ ” Victor reached forward in the warm water and found Yuuri’s hand.  He tugged it and moved them into the little alcove he remembered fondly.  Yuuri seemed aware of this and flushed.  “Tell me.” Victor said as he nestled against Yuuri, leaning on a large rock for support.

 

“Okay, I guess.” Yuuri conceded.  He leaned his weight more firmly against the silver haired skater, and Victor could feel the last shreds of stress and tension leave his body completely.

 

“Just okay?” Victor said almost directly into Yuuri’s ear.

 

“It seems like you have other things on your mind right now.” Yuuri said attempting to face Victor more, which simply shortened the distance between them.  There was a smirk on the blind boy’s face as he turned towards him.  Victor felt a light blush cross his cheeks, seeing Yuuri up close like this.  The richness of the brown eyes in front of him was startling and beautiful.  Victor got lost in the shape of his lips and the curve of his jaw.

 

“Yuuri~” Victor crooned, “Do you know how breath taking you are?” He cupped the blind boy’s cheek in his hand, and he felt their breath mingle together with the closeness.  “It’s very distracting.” Victor said with huskiness to his voice. 

 

Yuuri smirked.  “You were distracted to begin with.”

 

“Well, you’re very distracting.” Yuuri giggled.

 

“You said that already, Victor.”  Rather than fight a losing battle, Victor kissed him.  Yuuri smiled against his lips, and turned to place soft hands on his shoulders.

 

The kiss was all sweetness and soft touches, but Victor wanted more.  He and Yuuri had come so close so many times, but things kept getting in their way.  Victor was determined that tonight would be different, and wrapped Yuuri in a heated embrace as he begged for entrance to explore the other boy’s mouth.  Yuuri responded immediately and pressed against Victor so they were chest to chest.  All the sweetness was gone, and all that remained was fire.  Victor wound his hands into Yuuri’s wet hair and kissed down the long, elegant neck.  Yuuri moaned and it was incredible.  Victor wanted to make him moan over and over again, and wouldn’t be interfered with.

 

Yuuri let his hands roam freely across the wet expanse of Victor’s skin as they pressed against each other in the water.  The heat rising off of their skin combining with the warmth of the water was dizzying and intoxicating.  Victor sucked and nibbled at the skin in the crook of Yuuri’s neck, leaving marks scattered across the skin there.  Yuuri moved his hands to cup Victor’s face and drew the silver haired man back to him for another heated kiss.  The wet slip of skin on skin the only thing Victor could think about, and he broke the kiss briefly to catch his breath.

 

“Yuuri, can I touch you?” Victor said in a low voice.  Yuuri paused a moment, and nodded.

 

“Can I touch you?” Yuuri echoed.

 

“You can do whatever you want _zolotse._  Tell me whenever you want to stop.” They crashed together in a bruising kiss, with intensity Victor had never felt.  Sure he’d done _things_ before, but no one set his skin on fire the way Yuuri did.  Their hands roamed freely against each other as their kisses turned viciously heated and they tangled together.  Victor had Yuuri pressed against the large rock of the spring, and they were skin to skin all down the front of their bodies.  Victor could feel himself pulsating with desire, and traced his hands down Yuuri’s sides before reaching unexplored territory.  Victor slipped his hand in between them and took Yuuri into his hand.  Yuuri gasped at the sensation and pressed their foreheads together.  Their hot breath mingled together as they tried to eliminate as much distance as possible.

 

Yuuri seemed to remember himself and moved a hand down Victor’s torso until he was mimicking Victor.  Belatedly Victor worried he seemed too eager with how hard he was, but Yuuri was just as aroused, so the thought left his mind as soon as it appeared.  Victor twisted his wrist as he slid his hand up and down Yuuri’s length, and elicited a moan as Yuuri buried his face in Victor’s neck. 

 

“V-Victor” Yuuri choked out.  The sound was honey to Victor’s ears.

 

The grip around him tightened and the pace quickened.  Yuuri kissed and bit Victor’s neck as he stroked Victor’s cock like his life depended on it.  Victor could feel he was reaching his limit as Yuuri relentlessly pleasured him.

 

“Yuuri, I’m getting close.” He panted into Yuuri’s hair.

 

“M-me too.” Yuuri said shakily.

 

Victor didn’t want it to end, but if he didn’t come soon he would be torturing himself.  He continued to pump and glide against Yuuri’s skin, twisting his wrist as often as he could manage without hurting himself.  Neither one of them could form a coherent sentence as they ground against each other in a desperate attempt for more contact.  Yuuri’s moans were smothered into Victor’s skin, as well as Victor’s into Yuuri’s hair.  Victor had one hand gripping Yuuri’s hip, and he could feel the nails digging softly into the skin there.  He tried to whisper sweet nothings to Yuuri, but the pleasure was so overwhelming that his head was spinning.  He moaned and called Yuuri’s name countless times in his attempt to stay upright.

 

It was Victor who fell to pieces first, as Yuuri had begun thrusting into his hand, turning him on to no end.  The feeling of Yuuri’s cock in his hand was exhilarating.  Shortly afterwards, Yuuri joined him in a blissed out climax.  The moan that came from Yuuri’s lips made Victor regret coming so quickly, because it turned him on so much his dick jumped.  They stayed like that for a moment, still touching each other to get the most out of every second.  Once they’d cleaned off the stickiness of their exploits, they collapsed against the rocks.  They kissed lazily as that was all they had the energy for.  Victor brushed hair away from Yuuri’s face and caressed the soft skin of his cheek.

 

“So beautiful.” Victor said in almost a whisper.  Yuuri smiled and kissed his nose.

 

“We should get out soon.  The water messes with your head after a while.”  Yuuri made to stand, but faltered.  Victor steadied him immediately, and found he was supporting much of the blind boy’s weight.

 

“Yuuri, are you alright?” He said with concern.

 

“Yeah, I think we should definitely get out now.” Yuuri said weakly.  Victor remembered the hit Yuuri took to the head not too long ago, and immediately guided him out of the water.  Once they were thoroughly dried off, they went to Victor’s room.  “I’m fine really Victor.” Yuuri protested.

 

“You obviously are not fine Yuuri, maybe you should stay with me tonight so I can make sure you’re okay.” Victor said placing the back of his hand against Yuuri’s forehead.  Yuuri smiled and took Victor’s hand, intertwining their fingers.

 

“Well if you want me to stay I’ll stay, but don’t pretend it’s because of my health now.” Yuuri said slyly.  Victor wanted to argue, but with Yuuri looking at him like that, it was hard to.  He conceded and gave Yuuri a chaste kiss.

 

“Alright, you should at least get some rest _dorogoy._ ” Victor pulled him down into the softness of the mattress, and Yuuri didn’t complain.  They cuddled together in the comfort of the private room, and Victor let out a sigh of relief.  This was exactly what he needed.  He could think about Yurio and Russia and skating another time.  Right now, all that mattered was Yuuri.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooh, how steamy! I hope you liked it! ;)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day! Here's another chapter for you all! Thanks so much for reading! It astonishes me how many people leave lovely comments and kudos!

Waking up next to Yuuri was almost enough to make Victor cry.  The softness of the dark haired boy’s face and the heat of his skin was intoxicating, and Victor couldn’t stop thinking about their time in the onsen the night before.  His cheeks flushed with the memory of it so clear in his mind, and his body responded immediately in kind.  He tried to suppress the painful bulge in between his legs, but Yuuri’s night shirt was slipping from his shoulders to expose his delicate collarbones and Victor couldn’t help but to brush the hair from his face.  Victor ached with want, but was more overwhelmed with adoration than lust this early in the morning.  With only inches of space between them, Victor indulged in the ability to stare at Yuuri unbothered.  He lightly caressed the boy’s face and arms, reveling in their softness and pallor. 

                                                                                 

With a puff of a breath Yuuri nestled further into the pillow under him which made Victor chuckle.  Victor pecked Yuuri’s cheek, unable to hold back his affections, and ran a light hand across Yuuri’s back, tracing meaningless designs in the light fabric of the shirt.  After a few minutes, Yuuri took a sudden intake of breath and opened his eyes.

 

“Good morning.” Yuuri said groggily.  He blinked many times in an attempt to wake himself up.

 

“Good morning darling.  I’m sorry if I woke you; you were being absolutely adorable and I couldn’t resist.” Victor said before giving Yuuri another peck on the cheek.  Yuuri hummed in appreciation and moved a hand to find Victor.  Yuuri somewhat clumsily found Victor’s chest before tracing up his neck to cup his face and draw him closer.  The kiss was sweet and slow, and Victor let himself melt against Yuuri as he closed the gap between them.  Victor moved to circle Yuuri in a tight embrace and caged the blind boy in his arms, running hands up and down the boy’s back and slowly entangling in his shirt and his hair.  Yuuri moaned softly before inevitably pulling away from Victor to catch his breath. 

 

“What time is it?” Yuuri asked in a raspy, morning voice.

 

“It’s 9:00 _dorogoy_.” Victor said peering over the edge of the bed to see the clock on the nightstand.  Much later than the last time they’d spent the night in the same bed.  Although Victor reasoned that they woke up the way they did because Victor couldn’t manage to keep his hands to himself and eventually woke Yuuri up no matter what time it was.  Yuuri moaned in agitation and sat up against the headboard.  He rubbed his face in his hands before pushing hair from his eyes.

 

“I was suppose to wake up early and help with something, but I don’t even remember what it was…” Yuuri said with a confused but firm expression, his eyebrows furrowing.  Victor patted the boy’s arm in reassurance as he sat up himself in bed.  From down the hall, Victor heard what sounded like muffled running before there was a loud bang and his room door was being kicked in.  Luckily there was no damage to the door, but there was a very angry Yurio huffing and puffing in the doorway, looking like a riled up cat.

 

“There you are!” Yurio said pointing.  He looked absolutely ridiculous. 

 

“Yurio this is my room, where else would I be?” Victor said with a smile.

 

“Not you moron! I’m talking about that one!” Yurio said pointing more directly at Yuuri.  Yuuri looked like a light bulb had lit just above his head, and pointed emphatically to the sky.

 

“That’s it! I was supposed to practice with Yurio this morning!” Yuuri said in realization.

 

“What the hell Katsuki?! This was your idea! We just talked about this last night!” Yurio cried petulantly.  He looked at Victor in disgust and switched to Russian.  “ _What did you screw him so hard he lost his short term memory?!_ ”

 

“ _I wish._ ” Victor said with a smirk as he winked at Yurio, eliciting a loud gagging noise from the teenager.  Yuuri, seemingly tired of being out of the loop, emerged from the bed and stretched.

 

“I’m sorry Yurio.  Do you still want to practice? I’ll have to do it on my lunch break at work, but we could still fit it in.” Yuuri said thinking it over.  Yurio grumbled for a moment, and then left for the dining hall with Yuuri in tow.

 

Victor noticed for the first time that both he and Yuuri were fully clothed, which shocked him.  Victor almost always slept in his boxers or nothing at all.  Although noting the state of the bed, it was clear that the comforter had been kicked off in a fit of uncomfortable heat, which explained why the two of them woke up so close together, though he hoped that wasn’t the only reason Yuuri had snuggled up to him in the middle of the night.  Victor distinctly remembered having to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, and Yuuri was at the edge of the bed, not even facing him.  Coming back to the room, Victor noticed Makka had left the bed, and he made himself available to cuddle.  Yuuri had been so dead asleep he obviously hadn’t noticed, but Victor was glad to know that Yuuri ended up by his side again somewhere in the early hours of the morning.

 

Currently, Makkachin was snoozing upside down in the midst of the comforter on the floor and looking absolutely adorable.  Victor managed to get a few good shots for Instagram before Makkachin somehow caught on and flipped into a different position in his sleep.  Victor was tempted to lean down and shower Makkachin with pets and kisses, but remembering how Yuuri had woken up fairly quickly he stopped.  Makka was getting old, and Victor decided he deserved the extra rest if he wanted to sleep in this morning.  The skater tiptoed out of the room and walked to the dining room in the hopes of cuddling up to Yuuri before he headed out to work.  It was a public skate day at the rink which meant that Victor didn’t have many opportunities to be with Yuuri as he was actually working.  To his disappointment, Yuuri had already left by the time he made it to the dining room. 

 

“He’s gone already?” Victor whined to Hiroko-san as she passed him.  She patted his cheek affectionately and smiled.

 

“Afraid so! Yurio went with him as well.  They seemed eager to get going today!” She said as she busied herself cleaning various surfaces.  A look of realization passed across her face as she straightened suddenly.  “Although, this does mean we have some time alone.” She said mischievously.  Victor raised an eyebrow.  “Should I get the photo albums?” She said clasping her hands together.

 

“Oh yes!” Victor said in understanding.  He was practically jumping in place as she giggled and wandered off in search of the pictures.  Victor’s heart raced with anticipation as he sat down and poured himself a cup of tea.  Baby pictures of Yuuri! How exciting! Hiroko was back quite quickly with three or four albums stacked in her grasp.  She tripped and almost sent them flying, but recovered well.

 

“Now you know where Yuuri gets it from!” She said brushing it off and handing Victor the first of the albums.  He was cooing as soon as he opened the scrapbook to the first page.  Yuuri was wrapped tightly in a blanket being held by a much younger Hiroko, and in the photo next to it, a tiny Mari was holding Yuuri.  Victor couldn’t get enough.  The little tufts of hair poking out wildly on Yuuri’s head along with the massive chubby cheeks were enough to make anyone squeal.  As the photos progressed and Yuuri got older, Victor noticed Yuuri was mostly getting photographed in Minako’s studio or at Ice Castle with Yuuko and Nishigori.  One of Victor’s favorite pictures was Yuuri posing cutely on the ice in a little jumper that had a “Y” stitched onto it.

 

“He wore that almost every day.  I had to hide if from him just to wash it!” Hiroko giggled as she pointed to the photo. 

 

“How adorable!” Victor laughed and continued flipping through the pages.  As Yuuri got older Victor noticed the appearance of a small poodle.  It looked almost exactly like Makkachin, and made Victor regret not waking up his beloved dog with kisses that morning.  Victor knew Yuuri had lost Vicchan fairly recently and it hurt his heart to know that Yuuri could never look at the pictures of the two of them together now that the dog was gone and Yuuri was blind.  Victor let himself dwell on the thought for a little too long and had to excuse himself so he could wipe tears away and hug Makkachin.

 

When he returned to the dining room, he noticed his phone buzzing loudly on the table.  He had 17 texts from Yurio.

 

**Are you coming or what?**

**Do you expect me to practice by myself?**

**Fine I’ll do warm ups, you owe me old man.**

**Oh my GOD Victor WHERE ARE YOU?**

**IT’S BEEN AN HOUR WTF VICTOR.**

**THE PIGGY IS HERE YOU DON’T HAVE AN EXCUSE TO BE LATE MORON!**

Victor sighed and regrettably told Hiroko he had to meet the boys at the rink.  He may have dawdled just a bit to spite Yurio, but the prospect of seeing Yuuri again after the almost hundred baby pictures he went through was too exciting to dawdle for long.  By the time he entered the rink, it was lunch time, so he’d prepared and gone to visit Ayame at the coffee shop again.  With drinks and pastries in hand, he walked over to the side of the rink to search for Yurio in the throng of people on the ice.  It was surprisingly packed for a weekday, and Victor was struggling to find the blond boy.  Victor reset his brain to look for animal print instead of blond hair, and after another thirty seconds he spotted Yurio. 

 

To his surprise, Yurio was hanging onto someone and skating backwards.  Since when was Yurio a polite human being? Victor tried to see who he was skating with, but all that was discernable was the total fear in the other person’s body language, and the tension they held in their entire body on the ice.  Victor hated to admit it, but his eyes weren’t as strong as they used to be, and he was giving himself a headache trying to squint in Yurio’s general direction.  Thankfully, they rounded the corner of the rink and slowly made their way towards Victor’s side.  Squinting again, Victor could tell that the terrified newbie had dark hair, but that didn’t really tell him much.  It was only as they reached even closer that Victor could make out the face of the skater, and his jaw hit the floor.  It was Yuuri! Albeit looking terrified and sweating profusely, it was Yuuri! Victor ripped open his gear bag and put on his skates, possibly making a world record with how quickly he got it done, and managed to intercept the two Yuri’s when they were at the opposite side of the rink.

 

“You’re doing fine, you just need to loosen up, you look like you have a broom stuck up your ass.” Yurio chided the blind boy as they continued to skate extremely slowly.

 

“Language!” Victor admonished, and Yuuri almost jumped out of his skin.

 

“V-Victor!” Yuuri shrieked, and overbalanced.  Victor caught him immediately and felt a little guilty at how incredible it was to have Yuuri pressed against him like this in public.  Yuuri’s hands grasped his jacket for dear life as he attempted to regain his footing on the ice.  Victor tried to suppress a laugh as he helped Yuuri straighten up.

 

“I’m sorry I startled you _zolotse._ ” Victor purred into Yuuri’s ear. 

 

“It’s fine.” Yuuri said an octave higher than usual as his face turned red.

 

“So, how’s practice?” Victor said teasingly.  Yuuri turned an even deeper shade of red as he mumbled something close to ‘it’s fine thanks.’  Victor smiled and patted Yuuri on the shoulder. 

 

“It seems Yurio has abandoned us again.” Victor said looking around for the boy, but this time he couldn’t see animal print no matter what direction he turned, then Victor spotted him and cracked a big smile.  “Ah, it seems he’s found the lunch I brought.  Are you hungry darling?” Victor said taking Yuuri’s hand.

 

“N-no I’m fine thanks.  Do you…. do you think we could skate for a while?” Yuuri asked, looking as vulnerable as Victor had ever seen him.  Victor knew from how tight and tense Yuuri was he must still be uncomfortable on the ice.

 

“Of course _lyubov moya._ ” Victor squeezed his hand and waited for him to indicate he was ready to move.  They skated hand in hand excruciatingly slowly until Yuuri seemed to gain some self confidence and relax. 

 

“Are you mad at me?” Yuuri said in a quiet voice.  Victor looked at him in surprise.

 

“Why would I be mad at you _zolotse?_ ”

 

“I mean, we were supposed to skate together but I was really afraid I would mess up in front of you so I kind of asked Yurio to help me so I wouldn’t look like an idiot and-”

 

“Yuuri, you never need to be afraid around me.” Victor said cutting him off.  “I would never do anything to hurt you.” He caressed Yuuri’s cheek as he swiveled to stand in front of the blind boy.  Yuuri blushed and nodded in understanding.

 

“Do you mind if we take a break? My feet aren’t used to being in skates for this long anymore.” Yuuri asked.

 

“Of course, if we don’t hurry back Yura will most likely eat all of the food, and we can’t have that.” Victor said playfully.  They made their way to the edge of the rink, and Victor helped Yuuri out of his skates.

 

“Took you long enough.” Yurio complained with his mouth full of one of the pastries Victor brought.  “Sit down, we need to talk.” Yuuri was about to make an excuse to leave, but Yurio stopped him.  “I meant you too piggy.  Sit.” As they sat, Victor passed around drinks and handed Yuuri a donut.

 

“What is it Yurio?” Victor asked before taking a sip of his coffee.

 

“I’m going back to Russia.” Yurio said simply.  Victor’s eyes widened.

 

“When?” Yuuri asked in shock.

 

“At the end of the week.” Yurio said shortly.

 

“But… it is the end of the week.” Yuuri said not understanding.

 

“Yes, I’m leaving tomorrow.”

 

“And you’ve waited to tell us until now because?” Victor interjected when he regained his wits.

 

“Because I expect you to follow me once you’re done fooling around here.  You have a season to prepare for you idiot.” Yurio said harshly.  Victor’s face paled at the comment.

 

“Yurio-”

 

“And I expect you to be with him when he comes.” Yurio said crossing his arms and turning to Yuuri.  “I want you to help coach me.”

 

“W-what? Me? Coach you?” Yuuri spluttered in shock.  “Why me?”

 

“Because when you tell me something it actually makes sense and I can make changes to my program.  This idiot,” Yurio said pointedly looking at Victor, “spouts flowery shit all day with no meaning and thinks I’ll get it because it sounds pretty.” There was a pause for a moment before Yurio cleared his throat and stood to leave.  “I’m heading back to the Hot Springs to pack.  Let me know if you’re coming or not before I leave.  I’m not going to get my hopes up if you’re just going to disappoint me.” And he was gone.

 

Victor and Yuuri sat in silence as they attempted to process this new information.  Victor didn’t have a mirror around, but he was fairly sure the confused look of shocked surprise on Yuuri’s face was identical to his own.

 

“What are you thinking?” Victor said breaking the silence.  Yuuri seemed to come out of a trance in that moment and slumped a bit on the bench.

 

“I honestly have no idea.” Yuuri said shaking his head in disbelief.  “I’ve never been to Russia before, I would have to find a place to stay, I would have to quit my job here, I don’t know the language…” Yuuri trailed off looking more panicked than before.  Victor rubbed his arm in a soothing fashion and moved to sit closer.

 

“I can help you translate for one thing, and Yurio would help too.  He likes you if you couldn’t tell.” Victor said pulling Yuuri closer to lean against him, which he did.  “And if you’re worried about a place to stay, you could always stay with me.” Victor said as nonchalantly as he physically could with the prospect of properly living with Yuuri.  Victor couldn’t see Yuuri’s face since Yuuri was leaning his head on Victor’s shoulder, but he could feel the sharp intake of breath against his skin.

 

“Are you sure? We haven’t known each other for very long.” Yuuri said cautiously.  Victor kissed into his hair.

 

“If it makes you feel better, you can think of it as crashing at my place until you find somewhere you like.  No pressure.” Victor said hoping against hope that that would never happen.

 

“Well… if you’re sure… I’ll think about it.  I should talk to my parents to see what they think first.” Yuuri said pensively, but Victor could tell that he’d already made up his mind.  Victor had found from getting to know Yuuri that once he made up his mind about something, you’d have to move hell and high water to make that change.  The determination on Yuuri’s face surprised him when they parted ways that afternoon.

 

“I’ll see you later then.” Victor said before leaving.  Yuuri nodded, and leaned in to give Victor a soft kiss.  Victor moved to escalate things further, but Yuuri just smiled and pulled away.

 

“Later.” Yuuri said smiling as he walked away.  The walk back to the hot springs was quicker than Victor had ever experienced in his time in Hasetsu, mainly because he couldn’t stop smiling and thinking about Yuuri.  He couldn’t imagine what his life would be like if Yuuri wasn’t in it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I hope you like where the story is going!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry for the delay! I've been having some troubles editing my work lately! Hope you enjoy!

With Yurio gone from Hasetsu, everything seemed much more intimate.  Victor and Yuuri were more often than not alone together in one way or another, and the tension was palpable.  Or at least, it was for Victor.  Every time they were in the same room, Victor would think back to their time in the onsen, and it took every ounce of his self control not to pull Yuuri into a dark corner and do unspeakable things with him.  Yuuri wasn’t helping the matter either.  Yuuri had taken to dropping heavy innuendos in English that his family had never heard of and disregarded immediately, but Victor was hot under the collar more than he wanted to admit.  Despite all this, nothing had happened since that fateful night in the water; nothing as intense as the first night anyway.  Stolen kisses and needy touches in the late hours of the morning or in the Ice Castle break room were the only times they could be together, and these moments didn’t come nearly often enough for Victor’s liking.

 

The closest they came to reaching that level of intimacy again was a particularly slow day at the rink just after they dropped Yurio off at the airport.  Yuuko had tried to give Yuuri the day off, but he just turned up anyway once the small blond was on the plane.  Victor tagged along if only to convince Yuuri to take the free day, but Yuuri was obstinate.  As it turned out, Yuuko had seemingly expected Yuuri to be particularly pigheaded, and the rink was empty.  A note was taped to the door.

 

 _Ice_ _Castle_ _is closed today due to lack of staffing.  Please return another time!_

“I told her I could work!” Yuuri protested when Victor read the letter to him.  Thankfully Yuuko had written it in Japanese and English.  Yuuri sighed, annoyed.  Taking a key from his pocket, Yuuri found the lock, and entered the rink.  Victor, confused, followed him into the dark, cool entry.

 

“Yuuri, it’s closed.  How do you plan to work when the rink is closed?”

 

“Victor, do you like my family?” Yuuri said turning to face him.  They were in front of the booth Yuuri worked at now, and Yuuri found the edge of the counter with his palms, hoisting himself up onto it.  The question puzzled Victor.

 

“Of course, your parents and your sister are wonderful.”

 

“Oh I don’t know, they can be annoying sometimes.” Yuuri said with a false innocence.

 

“What do you mean?” Victor said with honest curiosity as he stepped closer to Yuuri, who was leaning back against the counter and swinging his legs without a care.

 

“Well,” Yuuri said as he leaned forward, closing a marginal distance between them, “we can’t exactly do anything fun when they’re running around all day can we? And Yurio isn’t here either, boy did he walk in at all the wrong times!” Yuuri said feigning something like, _wow imagine that!_

 

“Yuuri”

 

“Yes?” Yuuri said leaning farther forward and almost leaving the counter entirely.  Victor abandoned anything witty he could possibly say in the situation, and collided lips and tongue against Yuuri.  They were pressed chest to chest in the quiet of the empty building, and the echo of the ice amplified every little noise.  Yuuri’s whimpers as Victor kissed and bit at his neck, Victor’s moans as Yuuri tugged his hair and ground their pants together, Yuuri now at the perfect height to do so as he sat perched on the rental counter. 

 

They kissed and sucked their way across each others lips and necks, and mute touches of hands did the work that the rest couldn’t.  Fully clothed, they writhed against each other until they were both panting and sweating through their clothes.  Neither of them had attempted to touch the throbbing need between them, but it was unnecessary.  After ten or so minutes of passionate touches and bruising kisses, they tipped over the edge and rode out the ecstasy of the moment together, hearing their cries ring out across the ice.

 

“Off to work?” Victor called as Yuuri walked down the hallway.  Yuuri stopped in his tracks and turned towards the sound.  Victor saw a smirk play across Yuuri’s face from their activities the previous day, and he preened with the desired effect being reached.

 

“Just running some errands; want to come?” Yuuri asked. 

 

“Sure, should I bring Makka?”

 

“No, we’re probably going to be out for a while.  He’ll get lonely waiting outside stores too much.” Yuuri said vaguely.

 

“Alright.” Victor answered perplexed.  What could there be to do?  As it turned out, Yuuri had volunteered to wander around town getting the specialty food stuffs that his parents couldn’t order online.  They went to shop after shop only getting one or two things from each, with Yuuri leading the way through the semi-crowded streets.

 

“Don’t you need a list?” Victor asked as they checked out at yet another niche food store.

 

“I just memorized what we needed for the week.  It’s not all that hard.” Yuuri continued to walk and marvelously avoided every obstacle in their path.

 

“You really know your way around.” Victor admired as Yuuri skillfully dodged a public telephone booth.

 

“Well you’d know.” Yuuri teased as he continued down the street with bags of supplies in each hand.  Victor’s ears went pink.

 

“Don’t tease me _zolotse_ , unless you want me to return the favor.” Victor said leaning towards Yuuri with a low, husky tone to his voice.  Yuuri’s smirk was infuriatingly cute.

 

“Oh, I fully expect you to return many favors.” Yuuri said turning his face towards Victor’s.  Victor tilted his head to close the distance between their lips, but Yuuri stepped away from his reach, and Victor walked crotch first into a fire hydrant.  Tears of laughter streamed down Yuuri’s face when he realized Victor didn’t have the same muscle memory he did.  The pathetic groaning noise Victor made on impact didn’t help either.

 

“Yuuri stop laughing at me~” Victor whined as he attempted to stand.  Yuuri wiped his eyes and held out a hand to Victor, which Victor gladly took as he tried to stand up like a normal human being.  Yuuri kissed his cheek.

 

“I’m sorry, I know from experience how much that probably hurt, but I mean, you can _see_ Victor, why are you walking into things?” Yuuri giggled.

 

“Because my hot boyfriend is very distracting.” Victor said, voice heavy with strain.  He was sure his dick was going to be vibrantly purple with bruises when he got back to his room.  Yuuri’s laughter subsided and he stilled.

 

“Boyfriend?” Yuuri asked haltingly, with red spreading across his face.

 

“Well I don’t have sex unless I really like someone as a general rule.” Victor teased.  Yuuri turned even redder at that comment.

 

“I just, that seems very fast.” Yuuri stammered.  Victor’s smile fell for the first time in weeks.

 

“Would you rather I didn’t call you my boyfriend?” Victor asked coolly.  He hoped his tone didn’t betray the anxiety in his question.

 

“No… I don’t know; it’s not that it’s just… we haven’t really known each other for very long, and you already think of me as your boyfriend, and asked me to move in with you?” Yuuri said walking again.  Victor paled.  Had he really been so forward? “This just feels really fast.”

 

“If living with me in St. Petersburg makes you uncomfortable you don’t have to Yuuri.  I don’t want to push you into something that makes you uneasy.” Victor said squeezing Yuuri’s hand in his own.  Yuuri looked down in confusion as they continued to walk back to the hot spring.  The walk was silent and awkward to say the least, and any inkling Victor had that he might be getting some one on one ‘special attention’ from Yuuri that night had melted from his mind.

 

Victor felt like an idiot.  All of a few weeks after meeting Yuuri he’d jumped the gun and opened up too soon.  How was he supposed to move on from this awkward stage? Was this reticence on Yuuri’s part to label their relationship, or was Yuuri genuinely not interested in anything more than a passing fling while they were in proximity to one another? The flirting had grown more intense once they’d had sex, and Yuuri was like a whole different person.  Long gone were the days that light comments and pretty words in Russian would make him swoon, and Victor now often found himself being the one to swoon. 

 

Was that Yuuri being comfortable with him or just telling Victor what he expected out of him?

 

Was Victor just a friend with benefits to Yuuri?

 

Doubt and confusion swirled throughout Victor’s thoughts, and he couldn’t pull himself out of the rut he was in.  He roughly ran his hands through his hair to clear his eyes, but the strands were too silky after being washed to listen.  He had to deal with this as quickly as possible.  Victor slapped his cheeks lightly in the hopes of clearing his head, but it didn’t help.  He walked to Yuuri’s room and knocked in what he hoped sounded casual and not as desperate as he felt.  He was panicking and shaking, and he didn’t know how to explain things properly.  Before Victor could turn to walk away, Yuuri opened the door.

 

“Yes?” Yuuri said rubbing his eye tiredly.  His shirt was riding up with the action revealing a thin strip of naturally tanned skin.  Victor flushed and cleared his throat.

 

“Yuuri, sorry maybe this is a bad time.”

 

“Nah, it’s fine, come in.” Yuuri said opening the door more widely.  “You woke me up.” Yuuri said with mock hurt.

 

“Sorry.” The word came out mechanically.  Too much was running through Victor’s mind too quickly.  Yuuri could hear that something was wrong, as evidence by the look on his face.  His dark brows scrunched in a cute way that would normally distract Victor, but Victor was beyond that now.

 

“Are you okay?” Yuuri asked closing the door.  He put an arm out in front of him and found Victor’s arm after a few seconds of groping the air. 

 

“Yuuri, maybe you shouldn’t come to Russia.” Victor said quickly.  Yuuri’s eyes widened and he dropped his hand from Victor.  The feeling of loss at the touch was unexpected considering how casual it was, but Victor was shaken by it none the less.

 

“What?”

 

“If you aren’t comfortable being with me, you shouldn’t come to Russia.” Victor said firmly.  Victor was startled by the look of pain on Yuuri’s face.  They were both silent for a moment before Yuuri spoke.

 

“Why would you say that?” Yuuri asked; his voice thick.  Victor saw his eyes were spilling over with tears.

 

_What had he done?_


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!! Sorry it's been so long! I've had virtually no motivation to write, but I'm intent to see this to the end! Which may be sooner than you think! ;)

Tears were properly and truly streaming down Yuuri’s face as Victor stared.  He had no inclination of where things were supposed to go from here.  There was a silence in the air that was only broken by small hiccups of breath coming from Yuuri.  Victor was frozen.  His body felt cold and nothing intelligent came to his mind.

 

“Well?” Yuuri said his voice cracking, “If you’re not going to say anything you should leave.” Yuuri said; his face was crumpled and distraught like Victor had never seen, and Victor’s nose prickled with the urge to cry himself.

 

“I’m sorry.” Victor blurted out.  “I don’t know why I said that, I didn’t mean it I promise.” Victor couldn’t seem to look at Yuuri, the pain and guilt was overwhelming.  How could he be so utterly stupid? His heart was beating fast and hard in his chest, and he felt cold and shaky.

 

“Why should I believe you?” Yuuri said as he continued to cry.

 

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it Yuuri.” Victor said, agony clear in his voice.  This gave Yuuri pause.  “Can we sit?” Yuuri’s tear-streaked face lost some of it’s hurt as he absorbed the apology.

 

“Fine.” Yuuri said, although he took his time before sitting next to Victor on the bed; his hesitation not helping Victor’s heart rate in the slightest.  Once they were seated Yuuri’s brow furrowed in confusion and he tilted his head.  “Is your phone vibrating?” Yuuri asked almost annoyed.  The tears had slowed now and Yuuri wiped his face.

 

“What? No I didn’t bring it with me.” Victor said confused.  Yuuri turned in his direction with less distain than Victor expected.

 

“Then what is it?” Yuuri asked.

 

“I don’t understand.” Victor said.

 

“The bed is shaking, can’t you feel it?” Yuuri said laying a hand against the sheets.

 

Victor was shaking more intensely than he thought it seemed if Yuuri had noticed.  A concerned look passed Yuuri’s face as he tentatively put a hand on Victor’s arm, feeling the full force of the intermittent shaking as it came and went.  Yuuri’s breath caught and his eyes widened as he felt the tremors course through Victor’s body.

 

“Is your heart racing too?” He asked seriously.

 

“What- how could you possibly know that?”  Victor said defensively.  The pain had left Yuuri’s face then as realization and understanding became apparent instead.

 

“Victor, I think you’re having a panic attack.  How long has this been going on?” Yuuri said calmly, which seemed to contradict what he had just said.  A panic attack?

 

“I don’t know, I was in my room and I felt my heart beating out of my chest, and I couldn’t stop thinking about whether it was too much too soon for you.  I thought I pushed you too fast.  I resolved to tell you that there was no pressure, you didn’t have to come stay with me if you weren’t ready… but we know how that turned out.” Victor said quickly, letting out nervous laughter that felt completely inappropriate.  Yuuri’s tears were gone now, and he was rubbing soothing patterns into Victor’s back.  Surprised by the affection, Victor tensed unthinking.

 

“Victor, I think you’re having a panic attack.” Yuuri said simply.  “What do you need?”

  
“You seem rather calm about this.” Victor said incredulously.  Another tremor went through him and Yuuri’s expression changed.

 

“I have an anxiety disorder, so I have years worth of experience, I’m assuming you’re new to this.” Yuuri said in a soothing tone.  “What do you need?” He said again.

 

“Just stay close to me?” Victor said after a pause, his voice soft.  He felt almost awkward asking, but as soon as Yuuri wrapped his arms around Victor’s frame, he immediately felt his mind relax, even if his heart rate wasn’t.  They readjusted themselves so Yuuri was leaning against the wall with Victor nestled into his chest.  Victor listened to the steady pace of Yuuri’s heart and tried to breathe.  “This has never happened before.”

 

“I figured as much.” Yuuri said tracing lazy patterns across Victor’s skin.  Yuuri’s eyes were unfixed on any point, just staring into the distance.  “Do you want to eat anything?”

 

“No, the thought of food makes me nauseated.” Victor said quelling a terrible feeling in his throat.

 

“That’s normal.  Don’t worry about it; it’ll pass.” Yuuri crooned.  “Do you want to talk then? Or do you need quiet time?”

 

“Can we just lay here for a while?” Victor asked with his cheek pressed against the cool fabric of Yuuri’s shirt.  He felt guilty for his actions as wet patches of the shirt touched his face, damp with tears.  “I’m so sorry Yuuri.” Victor said feeling like he was on the verge of tears.

 

“I accept your apology Victor, everything is okay now, everything is fine.” Yuuri soothed.  A single tear slipped down Victor’s cheek unchecked and Victor was grateful Yuuri couldn’t see him in this state.  The thought that Yuuri could see how truly weak Victor felt in this moment terrified him, and another tear slipped.

 

“I’m so sorry.” Victor said in a broken voice, turning his face into Yuuri’s chest.

 

“It’s okay now Victor.” Yuuri said holding him closer.  “I promise I’m not upset anymore.  Everything’s okay.” 

 

They stayed like that until they both inevitably fell asleep, exhausted from the brief encounter.  Victor slept deeply and dreamlessly nestled against Yuuri’s chest.  When he finally opened his eyes it was morning, and Yuuri was missing from the bed.  The sheets were a mess, eschew and disheveled like Makkachin had rolled around in them for an hour.  Remembering his dog, Victor got up to find him and get some canine therapy.  Once he reached the main floor, he heard chatter in the dining room, and saw the Katsuki’s having breakfast together along with Makkachin.  Hiroko was slipping bits here and there to the dog who dutifully stayed right by her side in the hopes of a treat. 

 

Victor thought to let them have their family time and made to round the corner, but Hiroko happened to look past Makka at that moment, and excused herself from the table.  She greeted Victor was a soft smile and a soothing touch as she led him down the hall a bit. 

 

“Are you alright Vicchan?” She asked.

 

“I’m alright.” Victor said reassuringly.

 

“Okay dear, if you’re sure.” And she pulled him into a hug, while unexpected was not unwelcome.  “Yuuri said you had a rough night and I wanted to see if you needed anything.” Victor was touched.  He knew this woman only briefly, and she showed him more compassion than people he’d known for years.

 

“Thank you, it is appreciated, truly.” Victor hoped the sincerity was conveyed as earnestly as he felt it.  She patted his shoulder and made her way to the dining room once again. 

 

“Alright! Time to start the day!” Victor heard her say with a decisive clap.  There were grumbles from Mari and Yuuri, but Toshio simply chuckled and stretched his arms above his head. 

 

The day progressed rather normally from there with Victor paying Ayame a visit for some coffee and putting time in at the rink.  He still hadn’t decided if he would compete this season, so he ran through Yurio’s agape.  He made mental notes here and there, but his mind wandered too frequently to figure out anything concrete.  The events of the night past weighed on his mind as he broke routine to make laps around the ice. 

 

The immediate shift from hurt to understanding in Yuuri still astonished him.  Victor had been so frazzled like never before, and Yuuri had figured it out instantly and provided a solution.  It reminded him of the way they taught Yurio; balancing each other out.  In many ways, they met each other half way.  This thought quenched the last lingering bits of doubt and fear in his heart, and he felt calm for the first time in what felt like days.

 

This is when Victor’s appetite finally resurfaced, and he packed his things to leave.  Thoughts of katsudon filled his head and his heart shaped smile was evident from across the rink as he left.  Right as he went to open the door, he bumped into a smaller figure and apologized quickly.

 

“Oh, Yuuri!” Victor said in surprise placing his hands on Yuuri’s shoulders to help steady him.  “I didn’t think you were working today.” Yuuri’s wide eyes looked up towards him and a smile emerged.

 

“I just came to find _you_ actually.” Yuuri said, his hand rising to cup Victor’s face.  Victor leaned into the touch and kissed Yuuri’s wrist.

 

“Well, you’ve found me.” Victor said coyly before kissing Yuuri on the lips.  “Thank you for last night _dorogoy_ ¸ you have no idea what it means to me.” He said before peppering Yuuri’s face with more kisses, which brought adorable giggles.  Yuuri’s hand moved to cup the back of Victor’s neck as he drew him close for a proper kiss, soft and lingering.

 

“I’m just glad I could help.” Yuuri said warmly.  “You seem better today.  Did I catch you on the way out then? Were you leaving?”

 

“Yes, I’m craving your mother’s food it seems.” Victor said intertwining their fingers and leading Yuuri to the door.

 

“Well I’m sure we could fix that problem.” Yuuri said with a smirk on his face.  Victor laughed and it felt wonderful.

 

“I’m so happy I met you, _lyubov moya._ ” Victor said kissing Yuuri’s cheek as they braced against the cool wind.  Yuuri flushed red like a cute little tomato Victor thought.

 

“That’s a new one.” He said; his smirk intensifying.  “What does it mean?”

 

“Oh, I’ll tell you some other time I think, _lyubov moya._ ” 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO! 
> 
> IT SAYS THIS HAS BEEN UPDATED AND I APOLOGIZE BUT IT HASN'T I JUST NEEDED TO GET YOUR ATTENTION! 
> 
> I'M CURRENTLY WORKING ON A NEW CHAPTER AND I JUST WANTED TO LET ALL OF YOU WONDERFUL, LOVELY PEOPLE KNOW! 
> 
> FEEL FREE TO YELL AT ME IF YOU DON'T SEE A NEW CHAPTER SOON! 
> 
> BUT NOT TOO BADLY. 
> 
> I HAVE FEELINGS. 
> 
> THANKS FOR YOUR TIME!

“You still haven’t told them yet?” Victor said in surprise.

 

“Nope.” Yuuri responded.

 

“You have to tell them at some point you know.” Victor said as he lazily played with Yuuri’s hair.  The dark strands curled around his fingers and slid over his skin with softness. 

 

“I know.” Yuuri said with a groan.  He lifted his hands to cover his face and whined even more.  Apparently not being able to see the people you’re talking do does not lessen the anxiety that accompanies telling them something important.  This fact had lead Yuuri to attempt telling his family about the move to Russia so many times now Victor was surprised they hadn’t guessed at it; even though Yuuri chickened out at the last second and would change the subject every time.

 

“Our flight is in two days.” Victor failed to control the teasing in his voice and earned a light hit in the stomach for it.  “I’m just saying,” he said trying to stifle a laugh, “they’re going to notice if we’re gone!” Victor said before full on laughing, which coaxed laughter out of Yuuri too and lessened the visible tension in his body.  There was no reason for it to be as funny as it was; Victor was just in a giggly mood.  Yuuri put out a hand to Victor’s chest and scooted closer so he could lay his head on Victor’s shoulder.

 

“This is so embarrassing.” Yuuri said with another whine.  “Did you see how bad it was this morning with my mom?”

 

“No, how bad was it _zoloste_?” Victor said playing with Yuuri’s hair again.

 

“Enough that I can feel her giving me weird looks now.” Yuuri said relaxing into the touch.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to tell them?” Victor asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.

 

“No.” Yuuri sighed.  “I should tell them myself.  I know it isn’t a big deal, it’s just… a big deal.” Victor hummed noncommittally.  He didn’t fully understand all of Yuuri’s anxieties, but he was trying to help the best he could.

 

“What if you just… did it?” Victor said.  Yuuri lifted his head and gave Yuuri a look that clearly read as _are you kidding me?_

 

“No, listen, what if you just walked downstairs with me and said ‘hello family, I’m moving to Russia.’ It could work! You’d be done in three seconds, maybe less!” Victor said with growing enthusiasm.

 

“Victor, you really don’t know how this works do you?” Yuuri said sardonically.

 

“To be honest _kotyonok_ , no not really, but I do understand motivation.  If you can work up the motivation to tell them, then it’s much easier to get up and tell them isn’t it? You just have to get up and do it.” Victor asked experimentally.  He felt like he sounded very rude and regretted it.  Clearly anxiety was very complicated, and Victor was possibly giving very insensitive advice.  Yuuri’s face was unreadable in that moment, and soon Yuuri was out the door. 

 

“Yuuri!” Victor called after him once the shock wore off.  He got up to follow Yuuri as soon as he untangled himself from the mess of blankets Makka had created earlier in his fit of nestling into the bed.  Victor didn’t see him right away, so he ran down to the dining hall in case Yuuri’s parents had seen him go. 

How could he be so _stupid?_

 

It was clear Victor had upset him, and put his foot in his mouth so far it would almost never emerge again.  Hearing voices he rounded the corner to the dining hall and, surprisingly, found Yuuri talking seriously with his sister. 

 

“Is this true?” Mari said turning to Victor.  He paled instantly and felt even worse than he looked. 

 

_Yuuri had been so upset he went to his sister to console him._

 

“What is it dear?” Yuuri’s mother said as she came into the room.  Victor stood shaken and pale in the doorway not knowing what to say.

 

“Oh, Yuuri and Vicchan are moving to Russia in a few days.” Mari said casually.

 

_What?_

 

Yuuri nodded and smiled.  “I’m going to help coach Yurio while I’m there.  That’s part of why I’m going.” Victor walked up to him surprised, but getting his color back.  He carefully placed a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder.  Yuuri turned and smiled at him; his eyes gleaming and bright.  _Thank you_ , he mouthed.  Relief coursed through Victor’s entire body.  He squeezed Yuuri’s shoulder and let himself finally join the conversation.

 

The night went smoothly after that, with the Katsuki’s throwing a celebratory dinner for their departure.  Russia was the main topic of discussion during dinner for obvious reasons.

 

“So, are you getting your own place once you get there?” Mari asked as she poked at the left over bits of her dinner.  Yuuri blushed slightly.

 

“Actually, I’ll be staying with Victor.” Yuuri said, trying to sound matter-of-fact about the whole thing.  Victor’s heart was swimming with excitement.

 

“Oh that sounds like a lovely idea!” Toshiya said as he began to clear the dishes away from the table.

 

“Have you thought of getting Makkachin some training?” Hiroko asked.

 

“Training?” Victor and Yuuri said at the same time.

 

“Oh you know! Seeing eye dog training! You could get him a few lessons so it won’t be so hard in a new city.” She said smiling. 

 

“I hadn’t thought of it.” Yuuri said, clearly thinking about it.

 

“Would you want to do that?” Victor asked.

 

“Not sure.  I’ll let you know.” Yuuri said still thinking.  Whatever Yuuri decided Victor would be fine with.  He wanted to make the transition as easy as possible considering Yuuri wouldn’t know St. Petersburg like the back of his hand the way he knew Hasetsu.

“Whatever you want _lyubov_.” Victor said airily.  Mari smirked teasingly, not that Yuuri could see it.  Nonetheless Yuuri blushed.

 

Crawling into bed at the end of the day, the skaters wrapped themselves around each other as they had every night for the past week, if not longer.  Victor reveled in the intimacy of just holding Yuuri.  He was content to just this for as long as he was allowed, and longer still after that.  The softness of Yuuri’s skin against his was all he thought about as they lie together in the cool air of the night.  Only a light sheet covered them both as they’d found they didn’t need too many covers if they were practically on top of each other at any given moment.  Yuuri took a long breath and exhaled, tickling the skin at Victor’s neck.

 

“What are you thinking about _dorogoy?_ ” Victor said planting a kiss in Yuuri’s hair.

 

“We’re really going.  We’re really going to Russia, and when we get there, we’re going to live together.” Yuuri said in a soft voice.  Victor wrapped his free arm around Yuuri and held him close.

 

“And what do you think about that?” Victor said with an equal softness to his voice.  Yuuri kissed the crux of Victor’s collar bone and his neck and hummed.

 

“I like that.” Yuuri said.  It made Victor’s skin tingle.  He touched Yuuri’s cheek lightly and directing the brown eyes towards him, and they were luminous and dark in the moonlight of the room.  Victor peppered Yuuri’s face with kisses until he finally gave a soft and sweet kiss to Yuuri’s lips.

 

“Good.” He said returning his lips to Yuuri’s with more sweetness and tenderness.  Yuuri shifted so he hovered over Victor, and Victor thought he’d never seen a more beautiful thing than Yuuri Katsuki, shirtless and wide-eyed, staring down at him with affection that ran deep into his bones and made Victor flush red.  Yuuri’s hair framed his face in a dark, feather-like cloud and Victor felt like he was witnessing art in motion.  He ran his hands down Yuuri’s bare chest and felt the muscles there contract at his touch.  Lazily, he brought his hands back up to hold Yuuri’s face and draw him into a much more burning kiss.  Yuuri slowly lowered himself over Victor until their skin was touching again, and they kissed themselves to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! It feels good to write again! If you haven't noticed I also have more one shots than I used to, so feel free to give them a read if you're in the mood! I love to read and respond to your comments, so talk to me and let me know how you liked this chapter! :)


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Here is the latest chapter I've been working on over the last few days! With school (college) and it's demands it's been hard to think of ways to continue with this story considering everything that happens is entirely up to me and I have to attempt to shape it around the story that actually happened. I hope I get another chapter to you all in the near future, but I can't guarantee when that will be. Just know that I intend to see this through to the end whenever that may come!

“Stop! Stop, that’s no good.” Victor called out over the ice.  Skates skidded to a halt and the groan of agitation was audible throughout the entire rink.  Yurio pulled himself out of the routine and huffed over to the side of the rink.

 

“What is it _now_ old man?” He said clearly annoyed. 

 

“You’ve totally lost your agape! What did you think?” Victor said scolding him.  Incredulous wasn’t even the beginning of how Victor felt in that moment.  He had uprooted his life _again_ and this is how he was being repaid? “You’re movements aren’t fluid, your jumps are to slow, I could go on.” Victor said emphasizing the problem.

 

“Screw you! I’ve been working on this day and night without you for weeks!” Yurio said with tight shoulders and balled fists.

 

“Clearly not very well! Or I would see some progress being made! It’s not enough for you to just go through the motions Yurio.” Victor retorted immediately.  There was a low grumble something along the lines of _that’s not my_ name in hushed Russian.  In the near distance, he saw Yakov looking over with a sour expression.  “Have you not told him something’s missing?” Victor called out at his old coach.

 

“What do you expect me to do Vitya? He doesn’t listen.  Besides Victor it’s your vision, not mine!  How can I coach for a vision when I don’t know what it is? Do you expect me to make up my own? Ridiculous.  You’ve been gone for too long and it’s left a hole.  If you’re having problems, that’s not my fault.  You never should have left in the first place.” Yakov said bluntly.  Victor schooled his expression to what he hoped was bland neutrality and turned away.

 

Victor paced in an attempt to clear his mind.  He’d only come back to help Yurio with this routine, and it was beginning to feel like a mistake.  He missed the warmth and coziness of the onsen and the Katsuki’s themselves.  He missed the privacy, he missed the scenery, but most of all in that moment, he missed Yuuri.

 

They had been moved in for nearly two weeks now, and were still navigating the wall of boxes that seemed to dominate the space.  Victor was anxious to get everything in its place, not because he cared about being moved in for the sake of being moved in, but because Yuuri had mentioned needing to memorize the layout of the space.  Victor couldn’t let go of the mental imagine of Yuuri walking around the apartment, knocking boxes over left and right and ending up in a heap on the floor.  He also couldn’t decide if that was worrying or amusing.  It was probably as good a time as any to call and check in.  The dial tone played a few times before Victor could hear a phone going off nearby.

 

“Yuuri?” Victor said turning at the sound of the phone.  Yuuri was just a few yards away when Victor turned his attention away from his ‘student.’  Yuuri’s face lit up as soon as he heard Victor’s voice.

 

“Oh good! I’m in the right place then.” Yuuri said walking towards him, Makka leading the way.  “Good job.” Yuuri said as he gave Makkachin lots of pets.  “Looks like your guide suggestion was pretty good after all.” Yuuri said as he finally neared Victor enough for the silver haired man to wrap an arm around him.  Yurio made a barf noise.

 

“I didn’t think you’d be coming today! You said you wanted to get to know the place better.” Victor said leaving a kiss on Yuuri’s forehead.

 

“I was getting stir crazy.” Yuuri said with a shrug.  “I think Makka was too.  So, first day back, how’s it going?” Yuuri asked with intrigue.  Victor made a face, realized what he’d done wrong, and regretted that Yuuri couldn’t pick up on this silent communication.

 

“Not idyllically I’m afraid.” Victor said in a hushed tone.  He mainly used it as an excuse to lean in closer to Yuuri.   Soft black hair brushed his nose as he kissed Yuuri’s forehead.

 

“Can you two be disgusting somewhere else?” Yurio whined from the rink.  He was now lazily making figure eights… backwards.  Yuuri chuckled and felt his way forward to the half wall enclosing the ice.

 

“Hello Yurio, how’s practice going?” Yuuri said cheerfully.  Yurio huffed and crossed his arms.  The effect was not lost on Yuuri because of how noisy Yurio’s tiger print jacket was, which he’d refused to take off.  Apparently he’d gotten it for cheap in a Japanese market and had worn it every day since.

 

“Your boyfriend is an idiot who has no idea how to be a coach.” Yurio said pointedly.  Yuuri gave him a patient smile.

 

“Well, do you know how to be a student?” Yuuri said to Victor’s surprise.  Victor gave him an appreciative squeeze on the shoulder as Yurio turned red.

 

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Yurio spat indignantly.

 

“It means if you aren’t making the effort to listen to his advice you aren’t going to learn.  Now maybe if you take into account the tips he gave you, you would be able to see an improvement in not only your skating, but your performance.  At least I assume that was the topic of discussion, right?” Yuuri said still smiling.  Yurio grumbled something agitatedly and spun out onto the ice to presumably continue practicing his routine. 

 

Victor had the strong gut feeling in that moment that Yuuri would make an absolutely fantastic teacher for small, unruly children.  From the corner of his eye, Victor could see Yakov with his mouth agape.  Clearly the seasoned coach was shocked that anyone could get through to Yurio let alone _manage him._   Victor couldn’t help the massive grin that spread across his features in that moment, and didn’t take any measures to hide it.  Yuuri was magnificent.

 

There was a noticeable change in Yurio after his little talk, and Victor was pleasantly surprised by the accommodations the small blond continuously made for Yuuri.  After he ran through his routine he would come back to the side of the rink and run through it with Yuuri; knowing that his new coach couldn’t give him advice based on his actual skating.  The things they talked about honest to goodness mystified Victor in terms of how it related to the routine, but it seemed to help.  Yuuri kept asking questions that Yurio seemed reluctant to answer with so many people around, but when he got a straight answer, Yurio’s skating would improve immediately.  The quickness with which Yurio would skate back to the side of the rink was typically a good indicator of whether Yurio personally thought that run went well, and it was clear that Yuuri picked up on that as well; a smirk would pass his lips as soon as he heard the rushed glide of metal against the ice.

 

As the hours passed, Victor finally made his way over to Yakov.  He’d been avoiding too much contact ever since his coach had seen him walk back into the rink.  He knew he was going to have a lecture waiting for him if he gave it a chance, and didn’t particularly want to deal with it.  However, Victor couldn’t suppress his need to flaunt Yuuri as much as possible, so he went.  The balding man didn’t make eye contact at first and seemed to be brooding as he intently watched Yurio mark his way through his step sequence.

 

“So.”

 

“So.”  They said after some time.  Victor felt uncomfortable around Yakov for the first time in years; maybe the first time that he could clearly remember.

 

“Where did you find this Yuuri Katsuki exactly?” Yakov said gruffly.

 

“Japan, Hasestu specifically.  I was staying at his family’s inn.” Victor said leaning against the dividing wall.

 

“And how did you come to realize a blind man was qualified to coach Russia’s next great skater?”

 

“I didn’t, ‘ _Russia_ _’s next great skater’_ asked himself.” Victor said smoothly.  Yakov raised his eyebrows at that.

 

“Yura picked him?” Yakov reiterated.

 

“Yes.  He apparently thought Yuuri had insight into the performance aspect of skating that he was lacking, which I completely agree with.  Yurio is not the skater he was before he came to Japan.”

 

“Are you?” Yakov said still looking out into the rink.  Victor sighed.

 

“I don’t know Yakov.” He said with resignation.  “My drive is not there anymore.”

 

“Hmm.” Was all he got from his coach.  Victor let them fall into an easier silence than before, and turned his attention to Yuuri at the sidelines only yards away.  Even though he couldn’t see, he was intently focusing.  Victor presumed he must be listening to the sound of the skaters on the ice. 

 

“So?” Yurio said as he sidled up to the wall separating him and Yuuri.

 

“You’re dragging your skates.” Yuuri said teasingly.

 

“No I’m not!”

 

“Yes you are.  Now get some water and take a break; you’ve been running Agape for hours now you need to let your body rest and get some food in your stomach.” Yuuri said parentally.  Yurio rolled his eyes and stepped out to get his guards on.  Victor and Yakov watched the interaction silently, and Victor smiled to himself at the ease with which Yuuri managed to change the young skater’s mind. 

 

“I’ll draw up a contract for him by the end of the week.” Yakov said suddenly as he pushed his weight off of the dividing wall.

 

“I’ll let him know.” Victor said with a soft smile as Yakov began to walk away.  He opened his mouth to say something, but hesistated in that moment.

 

“Oh, and Victor,” Yakov said finally, pausing a few feet away, “if your drive is in question, it seems like you have a source of inspiration standing right over there.  Don’t be stupid and let it go to waste.”

 

It was Victor’s turn to raise his eyebrows at that remark, but he appreciated it nonetheless.  It wasn’t as if Victor had been especially subtle when Yuuri was around, but he apparently hadn’t realized just how much of an impact Yuuri had made on the old man.  Victor hoped to himself that things were changing for the better, and when he walked over to sit with Yuuri, he had a good feeling those hopes wouldn’t be in vain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I appreciate you all so much! Feel free to tell me what you thought of this chapter in the comments, or read the various one shots I've written!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Shockingly I've given you an update (which in an of itself is surprising) but it also comes on the one year anniversary of me publishing this work! Thank you all for your support!

Weeks dragged on and felt like seconds at the same time the way training with Yura went.  Yuuri chalked it up to teenage hormones, but Victor had the feeling it was Yura blatantly liking Yuuri more than he liked Victor.  When Victor or Yakov would give a suggestion or correction Yura would whine about it or rolls his eyes, but when Yuuri gave critiques he would only grumble under his breath and immediately put the advice to use.  Victor couldn’t decide if he was allowed to be offended or not because of the improvement he’d been seeing in Yurio lately.

 

“Assignments should be coming in soon.” Yakov said in passing one day as he and Victor watched Yura out on the ice; he was working out a kink in his neck as he did compulsories.

 

“Sounds about right,” Victor said noncommittally. 

 

Yura had moved onto the step sequence of his free skate since loosening up and seemed either lost in thought, or focusing so hard it was all he thought about.

 

“Lilia has given him a challenging routine.” Victor said in amusement.

 

“She seems to think he can handle it so I do not intend to contradict her.” Yakov said with a wave of a hand.

 

“Nor should you.  He’s made real progress now that he’s had something to work for.  I’m sure he’s been coasting the past few years being held back by his age in the junior division.” Victor said as he watched Yura go into an Ina Bauer.

 

“Will you be receiving one?” Yakov said more directly this time.  After a moment Victor realized Yakov had circled back to the assignments.

 

 “I don’t know yet.  Is it even worth it if there’s no passion behind it?” Victor sighed audibly and rubbed his temples.

 

“Well you have until Thursday to tell me if you’re coming back for the season.” Victor stared.

 

“Yakov, today is Thursday.” Victor said trying to suppress the smirk on his face.

 

“Indeed it is.  Looks like you have a decision to make Vitya.” And with that, Yakov made his way to scold Yurio about something Victor didn’t quite hear, but the eyeroll response said enough.

 

Victor felt sluggish as he closed the door behind him.  Hanging his coat and scarf at the door he braced himself for what he assumed would be the impending pounce from his excitable dog.  It was oddly silent around him so he assumed that Yuuri had taken Makkachin for a walk, or rather, Makka had taken Yuuri for a walk.  He decided to take advantage of the alone time and just let himself think for a good long while.  In his head he weighed the pros and cons of competing in the upcoming season.  He knew with certainty he would get gold with whatever program he dreamed up, so the thought of putting his body through even more strain and stress seemed unappealing.

 

 _There is Yurio._   He thought to himself, but Yurio was as crass and hotheaded as he was talented.  

 

 _It would make you happy._   Would it?

 

 _It would make Yuuri happy._   That was the real question he supposed; was he willing to continue his career for someone else’s happiness?

 

Victor remembered a conversation the two had had the week before on a cozy night in together.  They had gotten their established favorite takeout and after feeling a little fancy Victor decided to uncork a bottle of wine.  They each took an end of the couch and chatted while their glasses slowly emptied and their stomachs filled.

 

“So what was your favorite costume I ever wore?” Victor asked as he laughed.  Yuuri’s eyes were big and warm as he made a show of thinking about the question very hard.

 

“I think it would have to be that black one with the sparkly bits.” Yuuri said leaning forward.  “You know the one with the leather and all that.” His breath was warm and close and Victor gave him a kiss for his teasing.

 

“Of course you liked that one.”

 

“If I remember right you said it was to play into androgyny.” Yuuri said before taking a sip of his wine.

 

“That would be the cover story I gave the press.  It represented sex and bondage.” Victor said trying to come off nonchalant even though he was bursting.  Yuuri sputtered his wine.

 

“You WHAT.” He said lightly slapping in Victor’s general direction until he found his target.

 

“Ow! I am wounded! You’ve wounded me! Wounded! I shall never recover!” Victor said trying not to laugh.

 

“Don’t be such a drama queen.”

 

“I’m dying.  This is the end.  Tell Yura he was a terrible student.” Victor said as he slowly slid off of the couch.

 

“That’s your last will and testament?” Yuuri said giggling.

 

“Not quite.” Victor said regaining himself.  He moved his hands across the couch in steps until he was hovering over Yuuri slightly.  “This is.”

 

He closed the space between them in a slow, languid kiss.  Yuuri’s fingertips touched his cheek.

 

“That doesn’t sound very fiscally responsible.” Yuuri said pseudo seriously. 

 

“Oh really? Do you need another demonstration?” He said and connected their lips together again.  He could taste the wine on Yuuri’s lips as they smiled into each other.

 

“We should probably clean up before you-know-who starts to clean the plates for us.”

 

“Sounds like a good plan.” Victor said as Makka had appeared at the edge of the room eyeing the relatively empty takeaway boxes on the coffee table.  While he was rinsing dishes in the sink, Yuuri came rest at the counter beside him.

 

“So, have you made up your mind yet?”

 

“I’m not sure _zoloste_.” Victor said staring into the soapy water in the sink.  He felt far away.

 

“I know you’ve been working on a routine.” Yuuri said taking another sip of his wine.

 

“It’s nothing serious; just something to pass the time on the ice.” Victor said dismissively.  Yuuri shrugged.

 

“I’m not saying you have to make a decision now, but the skating world wouldn’t be the same without you Victor.  I know I wouldn’t.” Yuuri said smiling at the thought.  Victor leaned over to peck his cheek.

 

“You’re too kind _lyubov_.” Yuuri blushed.

 

“You’re going to have to tell me what that means eventually.” Yuuri said teasingly.

 

“Yes, but not yet… _lyubov._ ”

 

Victor startled out of his reverie when he heard the pull of the door coming away from the lock.  Soon there were paws skidding across the floor until his entire field of vision was Makkachin. 

 

“Victor are you back yet?” Yuuri called from across the room.

 

“Yes I’m here _zoloste_.” Victor said as he pet Makka.  Yuuri smiled and put his coat on the arm of a chair near him.  His eyes were unfocused but happy.

 

“I hear you have a decision to make.” Yuuri said as he slowly approached.  Victor could tell he was being tentative because he couldn’t tell where Makkachin was.  Victor reached up and ran a hand down Yuuri’s arm to draw him closer.

 

“It does seem that way.” Victor said bringing Yuuri to stand in front of him as Makka hopped up onto the couch.  They held hands as Victor mulled things over in his head.  “Yakov told me I have until Thursday.”

 

“Today _is_ Thursday.” Yuuri said smirking.

 

“Exactly.” Victor said returning the grin.  “So you see the problem.” Yuuri shrugged.

 

“It’s only a problem if you want it to be.” Victor arched an eyebrow.

 

“Is that so?”

 

“Don’t give me that look.” Yuuri said smiling wide.  “I don’t need working eyes to recognize that look.”

 

“Ah, I see.” Victor said teasingly.

 

“Unlike me.” Yuuri said in the same tone.

 

“Truly.” Victor managed to say before they were both laughing.  He pulled Yuuri’s hands closer so Yuuri was forced to sit on his lap.

 

“Really Victor, what’s holding you back?” Yuuri said with sincerity.  Victor rested his head on Yuuri’s chest.

 

“Is it okay to do something just because it makes someone else happy?” Victor said closing his eyes.

 

“I think it depends.” Yuuri said after some thought.  “As long as no one gets hurt I don’t see why not.” Victor looked up into his face to see the deep and sincere eyes looking back at him.  It was the first time since they’d met that Victor could remember Yuuri even accidentally making true eye contact with him, and it struck him.  He felt it in his gut that it meant something for that to happen.

 

“Alright then.” Victor said definitively.

 

“Alright?” Yuuri asked in the hopes of clarification.

 

“I’ve taken enough of a break.  It’s time to come back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I can't guarantee you when the next chapter will come out, but I can promise you that I'm not giving up on this work! If you have suggestions for what you'd like to see from this story I would be more than willing to listen! I write this not only for me, but for you the reader.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Feel free to check out my other works! :)


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